Pokémon: The Gotta Catch 'Em All Season
by Nintendo-Fan 4000
Summary: After the events of the second movie, Ash becomes determined to capture all 150 Pokémon. With the help of some old,some of them unexpected, friends, he is given the inspiration to live up to this dream. Fic includes some AAML. CHAPTER 12 IS UP!
1. Turning Over A New Leaf

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

Turning Over A New Leaf

Announcer: "It's been one week sinse the terrible global threat of the captivity of The Legendary Birds. Tracy has left Ash, Misty and Pikachu to visit his parents. Now, our heroes continue to explore The Orange Islands."

"Ash, are you all right?" asked a worried Misty. Her best friend wasn't looking as cheerful as usual.

"I'm okay Misty. It's just that what happened a week ago got me thinking." Ash responded. "If I was the one destined to stop the threat, I think I must be destined for more, like becoming the greatest trainer ever."

"I suppose you could be that optomistic." Misty responded, acting stubborn like she always did.

"I'm serious Misty. From now on, I won't rest until all 150 Pokémon are recorded within my Pokédex." said Ash, sounding as determined as ever.

"_As always, I'll stand behind him no matter what. Of course, I won't tell him that." _Misty secretly thought to herself.

"HEY!" a huge shout was heard behind them. When they turned they saw a very unexpected sight.

"Wait a second will ya?" it was Meowth. Behind him was Jessie and James who were, for once wearing normal clothes, not their T.R. uniforms.

"TEAM ROCKET!" shouted Ash in surprise. He was ready to fight and had a Pokéball in hand.

"Wait, we don't want any trouble." said James quickly.

"Yeah, we came by to tell you that we quit Team Rocket." added Jessie.

"WHAT!" yelled Ash and Misty while PIkachu cried...

"PI!"

"This is a trick, it has to be." commented Ash in disbelief.

"No, it isn't a trick." said James. "After what happened a week ago, Jess, Meowth and I thought about leaving the life of crime behind and starting over."

"I still don't believe you guys. There's no way your "big boss" would allow you two to quit." said Misty, still holding Togepi close to her.

"I was easy to quit because it's rumoured that da boss is dead." explained Meowth. "One of our bases exploded while he was inside. He hasn't been heard from since."

"So that marked the end of our ties with Team Rocket. We just stopped contacting them and stopped working with them." said James.

"Only problem is that we all want to form a group but we have no cause in mind." complained Jessie.

"HERE IS A CAUSE FOR YOU." a voice from above was heard as a net came down and trapped Jessie, James and Meowth. The net then rose to its point of origin and suspended below a familiar helicopter.

"What's going on?" asked Ash.

"Prepare for trouble." said a female voice.

"Make it double." added a well known male voice.

"To infect the world with devestation,"

"To blight all people in every nation,"

"To denounce to goodness of truth and love,"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above,"

"Cassidy,"

"Butch,"

"Giovanni," With that, Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Togepi, Jessie, James and Meowth immediately had shocked looks on their faces.

"Team Rocket, orbiting the earth at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or you'll surely lose the fight."

"THAT'S RIGHT." finished all three together.

"Let us down from here." shouted an enraged Jessie.

"There is no way we're going to release a bundle of traitors like you." said Butch.

"We thought you were dead Giovanni. How did you survive?" asked Ash.

"I thought you would ask that." said Giovanni. "An incompetant fool within my base dropped a burner on a flammable liquid. This resulted in a series of explosions within the base. Sensing the destruction of my base I had my Alakazam teleport me out safely."

"Darn it, we should have thought about that." said James.

"Now that I've finally been able to meet the "infamous" Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu,..." said Giovanni. "I think it's about time I found out just how rare that little mouse is."

"Bring it on." said Ash.

"Alright, go Rhydon." Giovanni tossed a Pokéball to release his large ground type Pokémon.

"Go make me proud Pikachu." shouted Ash.

"Ha, ha, ha this will be so easy I'll give you the first shot." laughed Giovanni.

"Big mistake! PIkachu, Thunderbolt ATTACK!" commanded Ash. Pikachu let loose a huge blast of electricity and aimed it right at Rhydon's horn. Pikachu's rare elecric power soon took its toll on Rhydon. When the blast subsided, Rhydon had already doubled over in a faint.

"WHAT!" shouted an extremely shocked Giovanni after he witnissed the unexpected result. "_I now definetely need that Pikachu. No wonder those three fools were always after it. It's rare power is incredible." _he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Jessie had a plan. "Go, Arbok." she shouted. "Use your Poison Sting to get us out of this mess."

"Charbok." Arbok responded with an attack of fine needles with tore a hole in the net which allowed them to escape. The only problem now was the fact that they were now falling down towards the beach.

"AHHHHHHH!" they were now all screaming for their lives. Seeing this, Ash grabbed a Pokéball and threw it.

"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip to catch them." Bulbasaur emerged and although he was quite confused as to why he was catching "these guys" he did it anyway. The former Team Rocket landed safely onto the beach. Seeing this, Butch and Cassidy started to panic.

"What do we do now boss? This is definetely not what we thought would happen." complained Butch.

"Calm down, Bill, I'll think of something." Giovanni responded.

"IT'S NOT BILL, IT'S BUTCH." screamed Butch in a rage. Seeing this as a great distraction, James took this time to grab his trusty Roadster (his bazooka) and aim it at the helicopter. The sight of the Roadster shocked Ash and Misty.

"Luckily I still have one shot left." said James as he fired it. The helicopter immediately exploded sending the three occupants sailing into the sky.

"_I refuse to be subjected to this nonsense."_ thought Giovanni as he grabbed a teleporter from his jacket pocket and pressed it, allowing him to teleport away in midair, leaving Butch and Cassidy to cry...

"Looks like we're blasting off!"... "(SFX) Ding"

"We sure showed dem." stated Meowth triumphantly.

"Yeah, we really rocked and socked them didn't we?"

"We _actually_ work pretty well together." stated Ash.

"THAT'S IT!" shouted James as a big idea just entered his head. "Let's huddle." he suggested to Jessie and Meowth. After a little while, they got up and said,

"We give you the brand new Team Rock 'em Sock 'em." announced a very excited James.

(_Author's note_: Hey, it's James, what name would you expect him to come up with, The Avengers?)

"T.R.S. for short." chimed in Meowth.

"I like it." said Misty. "It really seems to suit you guys.

"And our goal will be to prevent all crimes against Pokémon, especially crimes by Team Rocket."

"So you guys are really going to be good huh?" asked Ash, with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, there are still a few things we have to work on but we'll soon have a new uniform and a new logo. It's going to be great." stated James.

"Well then I guess we should make our alliance official." said Ash, as he held out his hand. Misty, Pikachu, Jessie, James and Meowth all placed their hands on top of his. "To new beginnings." said Ash as they all raised their hands in celebration. Afterwards, Jessie, James and Meowth said their goodbyes to Ash and Misty.

Announcer: "Our heroes now have a new alliance with Jessie, James and Meowth, the new T.R.S. What new adventures await our heroes as their adventures continue? We'll just have to wait and find out."

**Well, that's it for the first adventure in this series. I hope you liked it. There are going to alot more changes as this series rolls along, but I'm sure you all will love 'em all. Wait around for the next chapter and please review this one. See ya.**


	2. A Surprise Alliance

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

A Surprise Alliance

Announcer: Last time, Ash and Misty were surprised by Jessie, James and Meowth who quit Team Rocket. After realising that Ash and Misty would need help fighting the new constant team of Butch and Cassidy, they named themselves Team Rock 'em Sock 'em and turned to the side of good. Now Ash and Misty's adventures continue as Ash wishes to capture all 150 of the known Pokémon species.

"I still can't believe that we'll be up against Butch and Cassidy constantly from now on." said Ash, worried about the safety of Pikachu and his other Pokémon.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Jessie, James and Meowth apparently know enough about them to protect us affectively." reassured Misty.

"Pi pika. (I agree.)" added Pikachu.

However, a mysterious figure was seen not to far from Ash and Misty. He looked as if he was ready to show himself. The figure then jumped out of the tree he was in. "Well, well, long time no see Ash." It was Gary.

"Gary? What are you doing here?" asked Ash. He then looked to the left and then to the right and then asked, "Where are your cheerleaders?"

"I let them go. They were starting to cramp my style." Gary answered. "I decided to spend some time here alone for some relaxation. What about you Ash? What are you doing here alone with the red-head? Finally realized that you two should be together?"

Both Ash and Misty immediately blushed at the comment and then in unison shouted the answer, "NO!"

"Well Ash, if thats not it, then you are obviously still training. How about a little two-on-two battle. I never got the chance to battle you before." challenged Gary. He was already holding a Pokéball and was awaiting Ash's answer.

Ash, as we know, never backs down from a challenge. "You're on!"

Misty, however, was a bit nervous. "_Is he sure about this? I don't think I could stand seeing Ash's reaction if he lost to Gary of all people." _she thought.

"Alright then, Arcanine, I choose you." yelled Gary as he released his fire dog Pokémon onto the sea shore for the battle.

"Let me get a closer look at this." said Ash as he activated his Pokédex.

"**_Arcanine, the legendary Pokémon, the evolved form of Growlithe, admired for centuries for its beauty, its speed can almost be compared with flight." _**the gadget gave its analysis.

"OK, Squirtle, I choose you." Ash yelled as the little turtle Pokémon appeared from its ball.

"Arcanine, Bite attack." yelled Gary.

Acanine leaped in towards Squirtle with its teeth bared.

"Squirtle, Withdraw." said Ash.

Squirtle consealed itself within its shell. Arcanine connected with the shell and bounced off into the air and barely landed on its feet.

"Now, Water Gun." commanded Ash.

Squirtle sprayed a huge stream of water from its mouth toward Arcanine.

"Dodge, Arcanine." said Gary in a slight panic.

Arcanine quickly ran out of the way of the attack.

"Now use Take Down." Gary commanded.

The attack met its mark as Squirtle was sent flying towards a nearby tree as a result of taking the hit. After Squirtle hit the tree, it looked up and saw Arcanine speeding towards it.

"Now use Fire Blast." commanded Gary.

Misty almost immediately had a look of fear in her eyes. Ash, however, smiled because he saw the perfect opening.

"Squirtle, Hydro Pump." he yelled.

Squirtle retracted itself within its shell once again and sprayed even more powerful streams of water than the Water Gun out of each of the shell's openings. Like a propeller, Squirtle flew straight into Arcanine. The dog was hit both by the shell and by many of the streams water. Arcanine then soared high into the air in response to the hit and laned in a faint.

Gary was, to say the least, shocked. "Wow, you really got me there Ash." he said. "But you won't be so lucky again." he recalled Arcanine and then took out another Pokéball. "Go, Graveler." he shouted. The huge boulder Pokémon emerged and was ready to face Squirtle.

"Alright Squirtle, lets finish this, Hydro Pump." Ash called.

Squirtle flew towards Graveler with water spraying violently from its shell.

"Graveler, Jump." called Gary.

Graveler jumped out of the way as Squirtle passed harmlessly beneath it.

"Now use Rock Throw." said Gary.

Several rocks appeared beside Graveler in mid-air. The rocks plummeted downwards as Graveler rolled and came down as well. Squirtle frantically tried to dodge the rocks. However, some hit the poor turtle into the descending Graveler. The hit was so harsh that Squirtle was sent a fair distance away.

"Now use Tackle." commanded Gary.

Graveler curled up into a ball and rolled towards Squirtle.

"This looks bad." said Misty.

Graveler connected with the hit and Squirtle landed in a faint.

"_Wow! That was pretty good._" thought Ash. "This battle isn't over yet." said Ash. "Let's go Pikachu. Don't let me down buddy." he pointed towards the battlefield and Pikachu immediately jumped in.

Gary laughed. "Bad choice, Ash. It seems that you still have a long way to go." said the overconfident trainer.

"Pikachu, finish this, Thunder!" Ash commanded.

Misty smiled as she knew the battle was over.

Pikachu crackled with electricity and released it into the sky. The charged then curled and headed straight down towards Graveler.

"_After this attack fails, I'll just finish it with a nice Earthquake."_ thought Gary.

The Thunder attack connected with great force. When the battlefield was visible once again, Graveler was on the ground, knocked out.

"WHAT!" Gary literally screamed in disbelief.

A moment later, Ash and Misty walked away from Gary, who was literally frozen in shock.

"Thanks for the money for my victory." called Ash.

"Wait." said Gary, finally recovering. He returned Graveler and ran towards Ash.

"I don't know exactly how to say this but,..." he began. Ash and Misty looked at him questionably. "I want to join you two." he firmly stated.

"HUH!" exclaimed the two.

"Ash, I really think you and I could learn from each other. We could help each other improve and someday we could have a rematch." said Gary.

"What do you mean by improve?" Ash asked with a questioning look in his eyes.

Gary sighed for a moment and then explained. "I was always wondering if I was missing a characteristic when training my Pokémon. I thought I would investigate this further by challenging you to a match to see if I was right on this thought. After you beat me, it was clear that I was right. I need to learn to be more like you. I need to learn to show more love and respect for my Pokémon. This catch now and discard and ask questions later attitude is getting me nowhere."

Misty was shocked to hear Gary admitting to all of his faults at once. "But, what do you think Ash needs to learn from you Gary?" she asked.

"I've noticed that Ash's Pokémon collection is a little on the down side." Gary said. Ash started to flinch. "Don't get me wrong, Ash, but I think I can help you where that is concerned." he finished.

Ash thought, "_Come to think of it, I think I really could use the help. It's good to see Gary changing his ways._" "Alright Gary, you're on." he extended his right hand and Gary gratefully shook it.

Meanwhile, high in a tree, Butch and Cassidy looked on through their binoculars.

"I don't believe this. Now we got another brat to deal with." commented Butch.

"Don't worry about it. You forget that they now have to deal with US rather than those bufoons. My plan will ensure our capture of Pikachu." replied Cassidy.

"...And that's it. Just try your best to capture as many Pokémon that you see if they are not already on your Pokédex." Gary had just finished explaining a catching strategy to Ash.

"Alrighty!" said Ash. "HEY!" He then noticed an open area with many wild Pokémon within it. He then focused on a Pidgey, a Rattata and a Weedle, three Pokémon which he was unable to record Pokédex data on. In the blink of and eye, Ash tossed out three Pokéballs at once and successfully caught the three Pokémon. The two witnesses to this, Misty and Gary, stared at the result in awe.

"What?" asked Ash.

Abruptly, Gary slowly applauded Ash's display of skill. "You're a really fast learner." he commented.

"Thanks. But, here is what I'll do with these three that you would avoid doing: In my spare time I'll try to develop the skills of the Pokémon I just caught no matter how weak they are." said Ash. Gary nodded, taking Ash's words into consideration.

"Wow!" said Misty. "Maybe this arrangement will work out after all."

"Prrrriii" chimed in Togepi.

"NOT FOR LONG." a nearby voice was heard as a long whip travelled through the air and picked up Pikachu with a crack. The voice turned out to belong to Cassidy, who was holding a whip which was suspending Pikachu into the air.

"Since when have had to deal with THESE two losers Ash." asked Gary, ready to fight.

"I'll tell ya later." he answered. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt."

Pikachu tried to use Thunderbolt but the attack had no effect on the whip or Cassidy.

"Different agents, same strategy. The whip's electric-proof." stated Butch.

"But it ain't scratch proof." Meowth dove in from out of nowhere and scrathed the point of the whip right above Cassidy's hand. Pikachu then fell to its freedom.

"It's the darn scratch-cat." complained Butch.

"Not just him!" exclaimed a male voice from above. It was James. He and Jessie then landed near to Meowth at opposite sides to each other. Ash and Misty smiled as they knew that they were in position to say a motto,... a new motto.

"Team Rocket, prepare for trouble," said Jessie.

"It's our debut, so make it double," said James.

"To protect the world from devestation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of hate and greed,"

"To extend our reach to those in need,"

"Jessie,"

"James,"

"Team Rock 'em Sock 'em, defends at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight."

"Meowth, that's right."

"I love it!" exclaimed both Ash and Misty at once.

T.R.S. then smiled because of the love of their new audience. Their new uniforms were similar to what they used to wear. The difference was that now, wherever white used to be, was now brown. The insignia they now wore consisted of a Red "R" with two boxing gloves at the sides.

"What's going on, Ash?" asked Gary.

"I'll explain later Gary. All you need to know is that they're here to help." replied Ash.

"We will never accept defeat from you two." said Cassidy.

"Yeah, go Raticate." cried Butch, calling out their only Pokémon.

Ash held out a Pokéball but Misty stopped him. "Let these rivals blow off their steam. This is T.R.S.'s battle." she said.

"Let's go Weezing." shouted James.

"Go, Arbok." shouted Jessie.

The two Pokémon now squared off against Raticate.

"Raticate, use Quick Attack." commanded Butch.

"Arbok, dodge it." said Jessie.

Raticate charged, full speed, towards Arbok. The cobra Pokémon then jumped up into the air, out of the way, to reveal who hiding was behind it: Weezing.

"Weezing, Tackle attack." James called.

Weezing charged and painfully intercepted Raticate, sending the rodent flying backwards. It crashed into Butch and Cassidy, creating a heap. James then took out his Roadster. "Time to finish this." he said as he fired a blast. The explosion sent Team Rocket soaring into the sky.

"Some plan, Cassidy." commented Butch.

"Oh, shut up and say what we have been dreading to say all day." replied Cassidy.

And, with a sigh, the both said, "We're blasting off again... (SFX: Ding)"

Immediately afterwards, Jessie, James and Meowth gave each other high fives in victory. "YES!" they cried.

Ash, Misty and Gary then ran up to T.R.S. Gary was still unsure of everything that was going on, but he smiled nonetheless. "Good job guys." said Ash.

"Thanks." answered the team. "Wow! It feels SO good to be good." said Jessie. She seemed to get a rush from the battle.

"Being bad is overrated." added Meowth.

"Would someone PLEASE explain?" cried Gary.

"Oh, sorry Gary." said Ash. "You see, these three just quit Team Rocket after they finally embraced their good side. Their new goal in life is to prevent ALL crimes against Pokémon and they now call themselves Team Rock 'em Sock 'em."

"Well," said Gary. "This is a strange chain of events. However, I'm glad that you guys are now on the light side." He then shook their hands. As Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Togepi smiled on. Then, something hit Misty. She remembered something she could not believe she and Ash had forgotten about.

"Ash, the GS Ball, we have to get it to Prof. Oak in Pallet Town." she said.

"OH NO! I can't believe I forgot about that." Ash complained. "Now what am I going to do?"

Then, Gary had an idea. "Don't worry, Ash. I think now is a good time to take your advice." he then took out his Pokédex and pressed the white button. "Trade Graveler for Abra." he said. Instantly, one of his Pokéballs disappeared into white light and was replaced by another one. "I caught this Abra a while back and never used it. I think I can use it now for this situation." he then called it out of its ball. "Abra, Teleport us to Pallet Town." The Abra nodded and instantly disappeared, taking Ash, Misty, Gary, Pikachu, Togepi and T.R.S. with it.

Announcer: Well its plain to see that T.R.S.'s debut was more than successful. And as our heroes have added a new member, what new surprises await them as they head back to Pallet Town? We'll see.

**Chapter two is now complete. Those who are not happy with Gary as a new team member, don't worry, it won't be completely perminent. But to see what I mean, you guys will have to keep reading. More changes are surely coming. Please review.**


	3. Everything That Sucks

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

Everything That Sucks

Announcer: Ash and Misty have added Gary to their journey. Thanks to his Abra, they were all able to teleport back to Pallet Town so that Ash could deliver the GS Ball to Prof. Oak.

"Good job Pidgey, return." said Ash as his newly captured Pidgey defeated a wild Caterpie. Afterwards, Ash walked over to the caterpillar and sprayed a bit of one of his potions on it, reviving it.

"Cater?... Caterpie!" exclaimed the Caterpie, as it realized what had just happened. It then happily walked off.

"Wow, Ash," said Gary. "I never knew just how nice you were towards Pokémon. That last display was very commendable."

"Well Gary, you still have alot to learn about your rival." said Misty as she smiled at Ash.

"Togeprrriii." added Togepi.

"Thanks you guys, but we should get going. I can't wait to get home." stated Ash.

"Pika pika. (Me neither.)" added Pikachu.

A little while later, Ash could see his house right ahead of him and he then started to break into a run.

"Hey, slow down Ash." commanded Gary. Who was forced to break into a run as well.

"He always does this. I just wish he would remember the little Mr. Mime incident." Misty complained.

When Ash got to his house, he ran straight through the door and headed for the kitchen with outstretched hands. "MOM!" he cried, expecting his mother to be right there to return the hug. Instead, Mr. Mime was the one he was charging into. He turned from his sweeping with an extremely shocked look in his eyes. The same look was in Ash's eyes, but it was too late: Ash crashed into Mr. Mime and the two crumbled in a heap.

"What's all the noise about?" asked a frantic Delia Ketchum. Then she saw him. Her face then brightened more than the sun itself. "Ash, you're home." she said. Ash then got up and was barely able to crack a smile when Misty and Gary rushed into the kitchen. "Let me give my little Pokémon trainer a hug." she said. Then Ash and Delia embraced.

"As always, it's never a dull moment when these two get back together." said Misty. And with that, everyone laughed.

"So Ash, what was it like on the Orange Islands?" asked Delia a little later when everyone was in the living room.

"It was great mom. You should know about a little of the time I spent there, remember?" said Ash, refering to his adventure with the legendary birds. Delia came to the islands with Prof. Oak when she believed that Ash was in danger.

"Yeah, I remember." responded Delia.

"Oh yeah! I just remembered." said Ash. He reached into his backpack and took out his Orange League trophy. "This is for you mom." he gave it to Delia. "I want you to have this so you can see it here at all times and remember me." Misty was extremely touched by the gesture as it showed a truely sensitive side of Ash. It was truely a great mother and son moment which seemingly could not be ruined.

"Are you sure I couldn't use it as an extra dumbbell and save some money?" Delia asked. Immediately, everyone fell down (anime style).

"No mom you can't." responded Ash, who recovered before everyone else.

"Alright, I'll just leave it on top of the T.V." Delia said.

"Ash, don't forget the GS Ball." said Misty.

"Oh yeah! Mom, I have to go to Prof. Oak's for a while." said Ash.

"Oh, that's okay Ash go ahead. I'll see you later." said Delia.

"Mime mime (Bye bye)." said Mr. Mime, who apparently forgave Ash for the previous occurance.

"Nice to see you again Mrs. Ketchum." said Misty.

"Yeah, it was a pleasure." said Gary as they all left.

"Umm... Ash what happened in the Orange Islands while you were there?" asked Gary.

"You didn't see the strange weather patterns about a week ago?" asked Misty.

"Yeah, I sure did, but, I didn't know what was causing it. Before I knew it, everything was okay again." Gary responded.

"Well, Ash and I were on an island when the weather patterns..." as Misty explained while they walked to the lab, Team Rocket was spying on them with their binoculars.

"Well, I guess it WAS a good thing we blasted off all the way back to Kanto." said Butch.

"Yeah, and if I'm right, I would guess that those guys are headed towards the lab of the famous Prof. Oak. That means we should be able to hit the jackpot today if my plan works." Cassidy said with a devious smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Ash and Misty had just finished explaining the events on the Orange Islands. "... And when the song ended, everything was back to normal." said Misty.

"Wow! I never knew that Ash had it in him to be a hero." commented Gary.

They had now reached the Professor's lab. When Ash knocked on the door, it immediately fell on him because his Muk had just used Body Slam on Prof. Oak because he was stopping it from going through the door. The result: Both the Professor and Muk fell through the door and the door fell on poor Ash and Pikachu. "ASH!" cried Misty and Gary together.

Both Ash and Pikachu came to a little while later. "Ash are you alright?" asked Prof. Oak.

"Yeah, but the driver of that truck should be more careful." said a delarious Ash.

"Piiika (Yeaaah)." added an equally delarious Pikachu. Everyone else had a look of annoyance.

Later, Ash got to take a look at his Pokémon in the rest area. "Here you go Professor." said Ash as he gave him the GS Ball.

"Thanks Ash. I'll study this as quickly as possible." replied the Prof. "Well Ash, I'm getting the feeling that there is something important that you aren't telling me."

Ash was taken back by the sudden sentence but he responded accordingly. "Well, I'm about to try to capture EVERYONE of the 150 Pokémon species. I honestly think I can do this."

"What brought this on all of a sudden?" asked an impressed Prof. Oak.

"I think its as much of a destiny for me to do this as it was my destiny to save the world." he responded.

"Wow! Well Ash, I wish you the best of luck. I too think you can do it if you really try. Now lets join Misty and Gary in the main room." he said.

All of a sudden, there was a huge rumble outside. Everyone, in a panic, reunited in the main room. "What's going on?" screamed Misty.

"I don't know." responded Ash.

Outside, a huge tent was covering the entire lab. At that point, Ash and Co. looked up and saw a huge hose break through the roof and land in front of them. Following it through the roof was Team Rocket, who landed and started their motto.

"Prepare for trouble,"

"Make it double,"

"To infect the world with devestation,"

"To blight all peoples in every nation,"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love,"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above,"

"Cassidy,"

"Butch,"

"Team Rocket, orbits the earth at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now, or you'll surely lose the fight."

"That's right."

"Team Rocket!" said Ash.

"Pi pikachu (Not again)." added Pikachu.

"Correct brat, now if you'll excuse us, we've got a ton of stuff to steal in here."

"I think not." said the Prof.

"Oh, I think so." said Butch. He took out a small bazooka and fired. The result was Ash and Co. being trapped in a huge band. They couldn't move.

"Now, for the main event." said Cassidy, as she pressed the button on a small remote causing the hose to suck up EVERYTHING of value in the lab. Pikachu, the Professor's books, the Pokéballs (including the ones on the trainers themselves), the GS Ball, everything. The items were being contained in a huge device outside. It was the perfect plan.

Meanwhile, T.R.S. saw the tent and instantly thought the worst. They silently tore through the tent and entered the lab.

"This marks the official victory of Team Rocket." said Cassidy. As she rose the remote into the sky.

"I tink not." said Meowth, as he dove in and grabbed the remote.

"Oh, darn it." Cassidy cried.

"Raticate, get that cat." called Butch.

Raticate instantly started chasing Meowth.

"Do you know how wrong that sentence sounds?" asked Meowth to Butch.

The chase continued until Raticate cornered Meowth.

"We have you now." said Cassidy.

"Actually, yous two got nuttin'. As if I would ever let myself be chased by a Raticate." Meowth said as he pointed behind Team Rocket.

When they turned, they realised their mistake. Jessie and James used the distraction to free Ash and the others. "If I had my Pokémon with me I would show you guys no mercy." said Ash.

"Don't worry Ash, I'll handle it. Likatung, go." said Jessie. "Disable!" Team Rocket immediately froze in place.

"Let me see that remote Meowth." said James. He took the remote from the scratch-cat and switched the remote from suck to blow.

Instantly, the hose blasted everything back out. Then, Jessie, James and Meowth raised the hose and pointed it at T.R. causing them to be blown high into the air.

"Looks like we're blasting off again...(SFX: Ding)."

"Pikachu!" cried Ash, as he was reunited with his Pokémon.

"Pika pi! (Ash!)" replied Pikachu as it hugged its best friend.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Misty, as she checked on Togepi, who was safe in her bag throughout the attack.

"Yeah, but I want to know why these three helped us." answered the Prof.

"Don't worry about it Gramps. They're good guys now." explained Gary.

"Always glad ta help." said Meowth.

"Thank you very much." said the Prof.

Later, everyone assembled outside the lab. Ash's mom was there too.

"We're headed towards the Viridian Forest now. There are some Pokémon there I neglected to capture before." Ash said to Prof. Oak.

"Good luck on your goal, Ash. You have our support." said the Prof., he spoke for both him and Delia.

"Come back soon, Ash." said Delia.

"Don't worry Mrs. Ketchum, we will." said Misty.

"BYE!" they all said together as they left the lab and headed for Viridian.

Announcer: One great plot by Team Rocket was just countered by T.R.S. once again. As our heroes continue their journey, they are given renewed confidence from Professor Oak. Now our heroes head towards Viridian Forest. Will Ash actually succeed in his goal? We'll see.

**That's it for my third chapter. I know... I know... A similar plot was used in the actual Pokémon cartoon, but I always thought that this plot was too smart for Jessie and James to use. Anyway, the few tweaks I put in made up for it a bit.**

**I hope you enjoyed it. Please review.**


	4. Gaining A STRONG Friend

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

Gaining A STRONG Friend

Announcer: Another bright day for our heroes, Ash, Misty and Gary as they continue to help Ash try to capture all of the Pokémon. We now find them in the Viridian Forest.

"Why did we have to come back HERE of all places?" complained Misty, as she kept a close eye on her surroundings for bugs.

"Oh come on Misty, it's not THAT bad." said Ash to his best friend.

Just as he said that, a huge crowd of bug Pokémon started to crawl through the path right by Misty's feet. She instantly let out an ear-splitting scream. She then ran at full speed towards a nearby tree and climbed up as high as possible she even almost dropped Togepi while she climbed.

"What's with her, Ash?" asked a slightly confused Gary.

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know. Misty is absolutely terrified of bugs." explained Ash, as he chuckled through his words.

"It's not funny!" Misty screamed to Ash. "Just catch some Pokémon and let's get out of here."

Ash, Pikachu and Gary then just looked at each other and chuckled a little.

--

Meanwhile, high in a tree, T.R. was currently watching their prey.

"I can't believe that we just got blown away like a bunch of leaves in the fall." commented Butch.

"Don't worry about it. We'll surely get even this time." said Cassidy.

--

"Look over her you guys." whispered Ash to the others. "Look." he said when they got to him. He pointed at a Spearow which was just minding its own business. "I think I'm going to try the "sneak and capture" manoeuver you taught me, Gary." he said, as he took out a Pokéball. He then cautiously crept towards the Spearow.

"I've never known Ash to be so careful." Misty silently commented to Gary.

"Well, maybe he IS changing." Gary whispered back.

Ash then, with a swift movement threw the ball. "Pokéball Go!"

The Spearow only saw the ball coming at it for a split second. After that, it was engulfed within the ball in a flash of red light. The ball then landed on the ground. Ash and the others then stared at the red and white ball as it spun around as the Spearow was trying to escape. The tension could have been cut with a knife. However, to no avail, the Spearow could not escape. The red flashing light in the ball's center disappeared with a small tone.

"Yes!" shouted Ash. "I caught a Spearow." he cheered.

"Pi Pikachu! (All right!)" chimed in Pikachu.

"Well done, Ash." said Gary, applauding the trainer.

"Yeah, I had my doubts for a second, but I'm glad the manoeuver worked." Misty added.

"Toge toge briiii." added Togepi.

"Thanks guys." said Ash. He then looked at the Pokéball in his hand. He then threw the ball into the air. "Spearow, come on out."

The Spearow then appeared in a flash of white light. It then looked around, confused as to what happened. "Spear? Spear? (Huh? What?)"

"It's okay." said Ash to the confused bird. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I surprised you and caught you just like that, but I really wanted to add you to my team."

"Spearow. (OK.)" the Spearow nodded. It now understood what happened.

"Alright now." said Ash. Let's see if we can get in some practice drills" He pulled out a Pokéball. "Squirtle, let's go." Squirtle emerged from its ball and smiled at its trainer.

"Squirtle squirt? (What's up?)" asked the turtle Pokémon.

"Well, Squirtle, I just caught a Spearow and I wanna see how well it does in battle." Ash began. "I want you to fight it while I command it in battle. Alright with you?"

"Squirt squirt. (OK.)" replied Squirtle. It then jumped backwards and landed in a battle stance. "Squirtle! (Ready!)"

"Alright then, Spearow, use Quick Attack." commanded Ash.

Spearow charged at full speed towards the tiny turtle. Squirtle responded by using a Water Gun attack. Spearow dodged the attack and continued forward into a powerful Quick Attack. Squirtle was hit hard.

"Now use Peck." said Ash.

Spearow rose a short distance and then started to sail downwards in a Peck attack. Squitle could do nothing instinctively to protect itself so it was hit.

"Squirtle!" shouted Ash. He ran towards his turtle Pokémon. It was okay but was hilariously swaying from left to right in a daze. "Are you okay, Squirtle?" Ash asked.

Squirtle then snapped out of it and raised a peace sign (some call it a "V" sign) to Ash and said, "Squirtle. (Sure.)"

"Good. Return. You could use a rest after that." Ash raised Squirtle's Pokéball and in a flash of red light, Squirtle returned to its ball.

"Ash, that Spearow is quite powerful." commented Misty.

"Yeah, Ash. It has amazing attack strength." added Gary.

"I realize that." said Ash. He looked down at his Spearow who now looked as innocent as possible. "Its a good thing I didn't battle you to catch you, Spearow." commented Ash to the Pokémon.

Spearow then laughed in response.

"Alright then, return little fella." Ash returned Spearow into its ball.

When this happened, Misty had some thoughts: "_It's amazing how Ash can actually show love to a Pokémon that almost killed him on the first day of his journey. I started to have feelings for Ash when he reacted to his Caterpie's evolution. Now that he is showing almost the same enthusiasm towards this Spearow, I think I'm falling even more in love with him_. _It's funny how both of these events happened here in Viridian Forest._" she thought.

Suddenly, a mechanical hand grabbed Spearow's ball.

"What?" Ash was shocked at the sudden snatch. The hand eventually turned out to belong to Team Rocket. "Not again." complained Ash.

"Prepare for trouble, you better get used to us," said Cassidy.

"Make it double, stop making a fuss," said Butch.

"Come on Brad, why don't you and Cassidy leave us alone?" interupted Misty.

"It's Butch, not Brad, Butch." shouted Butch in response. "And for your information, this Spearow could become quite an asset for Team Rocket."

"I'll show you. Pikachu, hit 'em with a Thunderbolt" said Ash to Pikachu.

Pikachu jumped up into the air and let loose a fierce Thunderbolt. Cassidy responded by letting out a wall-like device which sucked up the attack.

"What happened?" asked Ash.

"Pika? (Huh?)" exclaimed Pikachu.

"Introducing the Electrowall 5000. Built by Giovanni himself. We now have the perfect defence for your little Pikachu." gloated Butch.

"Alright then let me see you guys handle this." said Gary. He let out his Nidoking. However, Team Rocket didn't even flinch in fear. "Use Horn Attack." commanded Gary.

Nidoking charged at the tree Team Rocket was standing in. Its horn was about the tear the tree to shreds. Team Rocket then casually raised the Electrowall and sent out the stored charge back at Nidoking's horn. Pikachu's rare electric power soon kicked in and Nidoking quickly fainted.

"NIDOKING!" shouted Gary.

"Oh, we forgot to mention the Electrowall's extra feature: It can release a charge at any time." stated Cassidy.

"That was a dirty trick. You're not going to get a away with that." said Misty. She let out a Pokéball. "Go Staryu. Use Double Edge." Staryu came out of its ball and instantly flew towards Team Rocket.

"Go Raticate. Tackle it." shouted Butch. Raticate quickly intercepted Staryu with its tackle. However, when the two Pokémon fell from Team Rocket's view, Pikachu was seen charging right at them. Team Rocket quickly panicked.

"Pikachu, Electric Skull Bash." Ash said.

Pikachu then spun in mid-air and broke the Electrowall with its head which was charged with electricity. (Much like Pikachu's "Forward + A in midair" attack in Super Smash Bros.) The force of the attack sent Team Rocket falling out of the tree. It also caused Spearow's ball to fly back into Ash's open hands.

"Thanks for the assistance Misty. The plan worked." said Ash.

Misty nodded and smiled at Ash in response.

"You are not going to get away with that." shouted Cassidy.

"Oh, yes I am. Spearow, I choose you." said Ash.

Spearow flew out of its ball and looked at its enemy, Raticate.

"Raticate, use Hyper Fang." said Butch.

Raticate then jumped high into the air towards Spearow with its teeth beared and starting to glow.

"Intercept it with Wing Attack, Spearow." said Ash. Spearows wing's started to glow. One of the wings hit Raticate so hard that it fainted when it landed right in front of Team Rocket. "Now, blast them of with a Peck attack." Spearow then did a somersault and charged at the ground right in front of Team Rocket. The rocks and dirt flew everywhere, and so did Team Rocket.

"We're blasting off again... (SFX: Ding)"

"Alright Spearow." said Ash, as Spearow did a somersault and then flew straight into Ash's arms. Everyone then laughed in celebration.

Instantly, T.R.S. then landed in a nearby tree. " Alright, where are they? I heard them starting their motto nearby." said Jessie. James even had his Roadster out and was ready to fire.

"Don't worry about it Jessie. We took care of 'em already." said Ash.

"WHAT! ALREADY!" they replied. You could see and hear the shock on their faces and in their voices respectively.

"Dey were dat easy dis time?" asked Meowth.

"It was meanly because Ash caught a strong Spearow. It blasted them off all by itself." said Gary.

"Spear spear. (That's right.)" added Spearow.

"Wow, that thing must be pretty strong. Protect that thing from Team Rocket as well as possible." said Jessie.

"I will. Trust me." said Ash.

"And next time, try to hold out until we show up." said James. "We find it oddly amusing to help make, let alone see, Team Rocket blast off."

"Alright." everyone said with a laugh.

"I never thought I would EVER hear a conversation like this between you guys." added Gary.

And with that, everyone laughed.

Announcer: Now that Ash has a super strong Spearow on his side, our heroes continue on their journey. What else could possibly happen? Well, in the world of Pokémon, anything is possible.

**That's chapter 4. Please read and PLEASE REVIEW.**


	5. The Return of an Old Friend

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

Sorry for not posting for sooooooooo long. But school happened. I'll try to get as many up as possible before the end of summer.

The Return of an Old Friend

Announcer: Our heroes, Ash, Misty and Gary, have finally made it out of Viridian Forest. And in record time too!

"It's about time we got outta there." stated Misty.

"Stop complaining will ya! At least we got out in record time." said Ash.

"I still don't know why you're so scared of bugs Misty." stated Gary, as he walked alongside the two.

" Ancient history!" she answered. "And I'm not in the mood for a trip down memory lane."

"Yeah the trip through the forest was WAY too traumatic for any more trips. Right, Misty?" joked Ash.

"WHY YOU!" Misty immediately gave chase...

"Those two will be a couple in no time." said Gary, with a smile on his face.

Minutes later, the group came to the sign which read "Welcome to Pewter City". This instantly struck a chord in both Ash and Misty.

"Oh my! Ash, we almost forgot about Brock in the Orange Islands." said Misty.

"Yeah, we recently heard from him and promised to visit him soon." agreed Ash.

"Well, there's no time like the present." said Gary, as he flashed Abra's Pokéball.

"Yeah, the teleporter at our service." said Ash.

"Just hold on tight." said Gary. And with that they teleported back to the Orange Islands.

"Psychic Pokémon are the best. I gotta get one." said Ash. once the teleportation was complete.

"Alright then, let's go find Brock." said Misty.

_"You've already found him." _a very weak voice was heard.

"Huh! Oh my! BROCK!!" exclaimed Misty as she turned and was horrified to find Brock lying in the grass as dirty as humanly possible. He fell unconscious the second after he made his statement.

"We need to get him some help now!" exclaimed Gary.

"Yeah! Let's get him to the Pokémon Center." agreed Ash.

Minutes later, the three travelers were in the island's Pokémon Center waiting patiently for their friend to emerge from the doors safe and sound.

"What do you think happened to him?" asked Ash.

"I don't know, but we'll find out from him when we ask." answered Misty.

Instantly the doors opened and out came Nurse Joy.

"Your friend is fine. He was just out in the wilderness for a very long time with no food or water. He was probably pretty far from the sea." said the nurse. "We just had him bathe, dress in some new clothes and eat some food. He's now as good as new."

"Really? What a relief!" said Ash

"Are you sure he's fine enough to leave?" asked Misty.

Almost immediately Brock blew out of the room like the breeze of a hurricane.

"Nurse Joy! How long have I waited to see your beautiful face again? I need to show you my gratitude for helping me recover. How about dinner?" he talked up a storm like nothing had ever happened.

"Does that answer your question, Misty?" said Ash with a smirk on his face.

"Hey guys. Thanks alot for bringing me here." said Brock

"Hey don't mention it." said Ash.

"What happened to you though?" asked Gary.

"Yeah, the last time we saw you we left you to study with Proffesor Ivy."

Almost immediately, Brock's face turned purple and pale. He then quickly ducked under the nearest bench and cried:

_"Don't mention her name ever, EVER again." _

"Huh! Brock what's wrong?" asked a terribly confused Ash.

"It's obvious isn't it? He got dumped or something." said Misty.

"I did NOT get dumped!" shouted Brock, who instantly defended himself. "I... I'll tell you about it some other time." he changed his tone.

"Alright then." Ash said after a long pause. "But other than that how have you been?"

"I've been doing great! Onix is a real powerhouse now." he answered.

"Oh really? How about trying that theory out on me?" said Ash.

"Is that a challenge?" asked Brock.

"You tell me. You _did_ travel with me for over a year." answered Ash.

"Alright, you're on!" said Brock.

"This should be interesting." stated Gary.

"Oh by the way, how come Gary's with you guys? I thought you all were travelling with someone named Tracey." asked Brock.

"Oh, that! We'll explain that on the way to the beach for our battle." said Ash.

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Meanwhile, two familiar faces made comments on the new developments.

"What's he doing back with them?" asked Butch.

"Darn it! Those three idiots are hard enough to beat. Now there are four." added Cassidy.

"Well it won't do us any good to complain. If we just go over the plan to include him we'll be just fine." said Butch.

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"Alright Squirtle, use Withdraw!" called Ash. The tiny turtle Pokémon responded by going into its shell to protect itself from a very dangerous attack from Brock's Onix.

"Nice one Ash." said Brock. "Respond with Rock Throw, Onix." The attack caused large stones to rise from underground and fly straight towards Squirtle.

_"Think Ash, THINK!" _thought Ash. "THAT'S IT!" he said. "Use Hydro Pump!" Squirtle immediately responded by letting loose enourmous torrents of water from the openings of its shell. It then acted like the propeller of a helicopter and flew through the rocks and crashed into a surprised Onix. The torrents of water made the situation even worse for Onix as it was sprayed continuously. It then landed hard in a faint.

"WOW!" exclaimed Brock. "Return, Onix." Onix then disappeared back into its ball in a flash of red light. "I should've known that you would've gotten stronger as well in the past few months."

"Well, I see an improvement in your Onix anyhow. It's gotten really strong." said Ash.

"Great battle, guys." said Gary.

"Yeah, you guys put on a real show." added Misty. _"And Ash has truely gotten better overall. Maybe this new attitude of his is helping after all."_

"Well it seems that you guys have been getting along well without me." said Brock.

"Oh, don't say that. We've surely missed you with us." said Misty.

"AND so have we!!" a large net captured Brock and Gary.

"Hey!" said Ash.

"Is that...?" started Misty.

"Prepare for trouble, sorry to break the reunion," said Cassidy.

"Make that double, the raid is on," added Butch.

"Oh not you guys again." said Ash.

"Yeah, don't you learn from Jessie and James' old mistakes?" added Misty.

"Huh? What do you mean by again?" asked Brock.

"Forget about it. Our plan's working perfectly." said Butch.

"What plan? Pikachu hit them with a Thunderbolt." said Ash. Pikachu quickly jumped to the sky and let loose a great blast of electricity at the duo. Butch then took out a small device.

"Swap!" he said. Instantly, they teleported away from the blast's range. In their place... was Brock and Gary in the net. They were shocked to the bone by the charge.

"Sorry guys." said Ash.

"IIIIIIntroducing the Teleporting Net!" said Butch. "It instantly switches places with the user with the push of a button."

"That's dirty." said Misty.

"NO, it's genius!" said Cassidy. "So, are you going to finally surrender Pikachu? Or do you want your friends to suffer some more?"

Ash grumbled. He didn't know what to do. Then, all of a sudden some small smoke bombs with the shape of boxing gloves descended towards Team Rocket. When they landed, the thick smoke made the team cringe because of the lack of visibility available.

"Who is there?" shouted Butch.

"That's pretty obvious, prepare for trouble," answered Jessie,

"Of course it's us, make it double," added James. They said these lines as their images were made clearer through the rise of the fog.

"T.R.S.!" said Ash. He was relieved to see them.

"HUH!?" asked a very confused Brock.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of hate and greed,"

"To extend our reach to those in need,"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rock 'em Sock 'em, defends at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, Team Rocket, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"Why can't you guys just stay out of our business?" asked an enraged Butch.

"YOUR business?" asked Jessie. The comment seemed to anger her. "This was our business before we quit... or did you guys forget due to head damage after the landings of all of those blast off's we caused?"

"Ash, they're good now?" asked Brock.

"Yeah, they're here to help." answered Ash.

"How can they help?" asked an amused Butch. "This is an impossible situation."

"Oh yeah?" said James. "Then try this." He then aimed his Roadster at the net with Brock and Gary captured within it. He then fired.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" asked Gary. His eyes were as wide as the foot of a Nidoking.

"Here to help, huh?"commented Brock.

"They must be crazy, Cass!" said Butch.

"Yeah, they must've finally gone off the deep end." added Cassidy.

Just then, Jessie took out a small remote, pressed the button and said, "Swap!" Immediately, the net switched places with Team Rocket... need I say what happened next?

"What in the world happened?" asked a confused Cassidy as she and Butch sailed in mid-air.

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter now, does it?" said Butch.

And with a sigh... they said, "We're blasting off again... (SFX: Ding)"

"That was funny wasn''t it?" asked James.

"NO! My heart is now beating in my ears!" said Brock. As Ash and the others took the net off of him and Gary.

"Sorry about that. But it was effective wasn't it?" said Jessie.

"Yeah, I guess so." said Brock.

"It's good to see ya again though." said Meowth.

"Thanks. And it's good to see that you guys are no longer evil." said Brock.

"Meet Team Rock 'em Sock 'em, Brock." said Misty.

"Yep! At your service. We saw them using the Teleporting Net and we remembered that Jessie had an overriding remote for it." said James. He was much amused by describing the turn of events.

"Nice! It's a pleasure to be a part of such a comical victory over Team Rocket." said Brock. "Oh, by the way guys, do you mind if I joined you guys again? I mean it's been a while but I want to travel again."

"Of course, Brock." They all answered in unison and then laughed.

"Great! I'm sure that you guys have been missing my great cooking." Brock said.

"Ummm... speaking of that, how about giving us some of it? Seeing as we're all good guys now." said James.

And with that, our heroes all laughed up a storm.

Announcer: BROCK'S BACK! With a familiar friend back with them, our heroes are definately stronger than ever. What new surprises await them all? Find out soon.

**That's chapter 5. Please read and PLEASE REVIEW.**


	6. Very Bad Luck

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

Very Bad Luck

Announcer: Our heroes continue their journey. Brock has just rejoined the team and it seems like his presence has been met with quite alot of pleasure.

"WOW, Brock! I've forgotten just how good your food tastes." said Ash, finally taking a break from scarfing down his food.

"Pika pika! (Me too!)" added Pikachu.

"Are you sure that you have enough time to taste the food while you inhale it." commented Misty.

"Togi prrrrriii." added a laughing Togepi.

"Come on you guys, try to stop fighting and allow me to concentrate on how good this tastes." said Gary, who, for the first time, was able to enjoy the food that Ash and Misty had raved about for so long.

"Any room for one more?" asked a nearby voice.

When the friends turned, they found Tracy standing right in front of them.

"TRACY!?" they all shouted.

"What are you doing here?" asked Misty, as Tracy ate his serving of food.

"I just came from spending some time with my mom. I then decided to look for you guys." he answered. "This food is great by the way." he added.

"Thanks!" said Brock with a chuckle.

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Nearby, however, Team Rocket was spying on our heroes.

"Oh great, just what we needed. More threats!" complained Cassidy.

"Don't worry about it." said Butch. "This plan is fool proof."

"Then I hope that you aren't involved in its execution." said Cassidy.

"Very funny!" said Butch. He then took out a strange looking device. "This little baby is going to solve all of our problems."

"What is it?" asked Cassidy.

"Well, Giovanni has been studying the waves of chance. That is, the probability of people getting good or bad luck." he explained. "Well his studies discovered that they could be tracked by very precise waves. This device can be used to manipulate those waves."

"Very nice, Butch." said an impressed Cassidy. "This is just what we need to turn our luck around."

"And of course the brat's." added Butch with an evil grin.

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"I've missed this food SO much!" exclaimed Ash. He had just finished his serving.

"Come on you guys. This is too much flattering talk." said Brock, blushing.

"Hey, look everyone!" said Gary. He was pointing at a nearby rock were a Nidoran♂ was minding its own business.

"All right!" said Ash. "Now it's time for Brock to see my improvement."

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"Is the device ready yet?" asked Cassidy.

"Yeah! All I have to do know is track him like so..." Butch answered. The device now locked onto Ash's body and his waves of chance appeared on the screen. "And now to turn it on." Butch flipped the switch and the machine reacted positively.

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"Watch me catch this Nidoran, Brock." said Ash. But almost immediately he tripped up on a tree root and fell on his face. HARD! The Nidoran♂ was startled by the noise and fled.

"Ash are you all right?" asked Misty.

"Pika, pika? (Yeah are you?)" added Pikachu.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ash answered. "But the Nidoran got away."

"That was pretty clumsy of you, Ash." said Tracy.

"But it was Ash. That doesn't surprise me." said Misty.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked an angered Ash.

"Nothing!" said Misty, looking away quickly.

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"PERFECT!!" said Butch.

"It works like a charm." said Cassidy.

"Now all we gotta do is wait for the device's power to intensify and then we strike." said Butch.

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Later on:

"So what you're trying to say is that I'm pretty darn clumsy." said Ash to Misty.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." answered Misty. They were apparently quarreling the whole time since the tree root incident. "Every time I see you bend over to tie your shoes, I hold my breath."

"What kind of YAAAAAAAA!" exclaimed Ash. He had stepped on Pikachu's tail by mistake and got a defensive shock for his trouble.

"Whoa, are you ok, Ash?" asked Brock.

"What about you Pikachu?" asked Gary.

"We're fine." said Ash.

"Pikachu. (We're ok.)" they both answered at the same time.

"Wow Ash! You're really having a bad day." said Tracy.

"Or it's just that I'm right." said Misty.

"NO YOU'RE NOT MISTY!" shouted Ash. He attempted to storm off from the shocked crew when he crashed straight into a tree.

"That's not a very good way of proving it." said Misty.

"_What's happening to me?" _asked Ash to himself. "_I know I'm a bit clumsy but today it seems to be REALLY bad."_

"Misty, you really need to give Ash a break. He seems to be a little out of it." said Brock.

"Togi. (Yeah.)" chimed in Togepi.

"I'll stop when he admits that he's the clumsiest of our group." said Misty. "_I don't know why but I'm getting a real kick out of this. I just wish it wasn't hurting Ash so much."_

"I don't have to admit a thing." said Ash. Just then a tree branch feel and landed right in front of Ash. If Ash had walked ahead any farther it would have landed right on him. "See?" said Ash to the others, smartly. Immediately, another branch came down on him. Needless to say, Misty immediately fell on the floor laughing.

"I'm glad that you all find this so amusing." said a voice from above. Immediately, Butch and Cassidy landed in a nearby tree.

"Team Rocket, what do you guys want?" asked an angered Tracy.

"What we always want... Pikachu." answered Butch, as he threw a net which grew from a hand-held size to just big enough to capture Pikachu.

"PIKA! (HEY!)" Pikachu cried.

"PIKACHU!" shouted Ash. Butch pulled the net back into his arms.

"Hey Ash, why do you have to deal with THESE guys all of a sudden?" asked Tracy.

"I'll explain later, Tracy. It's a long story." answered Ash.

"Just try to stop us why don't you?" said Cassidy.

"I will! Go, Charizard!" shouted Ash. Charizard appeared and immediately blew a blaze of fire into the air to strike fear into the hearts of Team Rocket. Unfortunately, the wind chose that moment to blow by quickly. The result was the flames going straight into the face of Ash. Team Rocket then burst straight into laughter.

"This is rich. I wonder what'll happen if he tries to attack." laughed Butch.

"He won't have to." said Misty. She reached for a Pokéball. "_My joking around has gone on long enough. It's time to help my friend."_ she thought.

"Not so fast!" said Cassidy. She released several bands that stopped everyone from moving. She didn't put one on Ash. "Let's see him do this by himself."

"You underestimate me, Cass! Charizard, Flamethrower!" said Ash. Charizard then blew a fierce stream of flames at Team Rocket. The flames went closer, and closer, and then missed the Team completely.

"What happened? I could've sworn that was going to hit." complained Tracy. What was worse was that the attack then came back from out of nowhere and hit both Ash and Charizard hard in their faces. Both then fell straight to the floor.

"Wasn't it a good idea to place the Deflectotron 5000 in a random area in the forest?" whispered Butch to Cassidy.

"Ash! Are you all right?" shouted everyone.

"I-- I'm fine!" grunted Ash.

"Yeah, but your Charizard is a little worse for the wear." said Cassidy.

"Now if you all will excuse us. We have a Pokémon to deliver to the boss." said Butch. And with that they sent another band straight towards Ash, capturing him. Afterwards, they both jumped off and escaped.

"PIKACHU!!" shouted Ash.

"PIKA PI! (ASH!)" Pikachu responded before its voice was no longer able to be heard.

"This is terrible." said Ash. Team Rocket's got Pikachu and we have no way of following them.

"Yeah, Ash... I'm sorry." said Misty. Anyone could see that she felt really troubled by Ash's loss.

"Don't worry too much about it." said a voice nearby. Just then a button was pressed and the bands which had our heroes captured immediately came off.

"Hey! How...?" Ash started to ask.

"It's just us." Jessie said, as she, James and Meowth appeared.

"TRS!" It's great to see you guys." said Misty.

"Ummm... It IS?" asked a confused Tracy.

"Oh yeah." laughed Ash. "These are now the good guys. Butch and Cassidy are now our regulars."

"Oh... TRS?" said Tracy.

"Team Rock 'em Sock 'em at your service." answered the team.

"If the introductions are out of the way we need to get Pikachu back." said Gary.

"Yeah, about that." said Jessie. "I saw what they were doing and we decided not to attack at that point."

"Huh? Why?" asked Brock.

"Well, years ago, Giovanni did experiments on the waves of chance. Team Rocket just used a device which uses what Giovanni discovered. They were using it to give Ash nothing but bad luck."

Everyone gasped. They then looked at a shocked Ash.

"So... that's why Ash..." started Misty.

"I should've known something was wrong. Ash is clumsy but not like today." said Gary.

"They'll pay for this." said Brock.

"How are we going to find them now?" asked Tracy.

"Don't worry about dat!" said Meowth.

"We'll find them from above using the balloon." said James.

"Great idea!" said Misty. "Only... what about Ash?" they all then looked at Ash. It was true. If Ash accidentally touched anything, the balloon may go up in smoke.

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"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!!" shouted Ash. The others had tied him up for the hot air balloon ride.

"It's for your own good, Ash." said Jessie. "Now where are they?" she asked as she searched for Team Rocket using her binoculars. Just then Misty approached Ash.

"Ash?" she started.

"Don't talk to me. You were the one who got the biggest kick out of this." Ash said.

"True!" Misty chuckled. "But I shouldn't have. Especially cause of the reason behind it all." she added.

"Really?" asked Ash.

"Yeah. This whole thing got me to thinking about just how much we fight over silly things." said Misty. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me for all of our fights."

"Yeah, I guess I can. But I was to blame for some of them." said Ash.

"I know. Let's make a pact." said Misty. "Let's try to never fight again." she extended her hand to him.

"Deal!" said Ash. Unfortunately the situation was a bit awkward as Ash couldn't possibly shake her hand in his current state.

"I FOUND THEM!" shouted Jessie.

"They're right there." said James as he pointed downwards while everyone crowded around him.

"Alright guys. Let's get 'em." said Misty.

"Hold on guys." said Jessie. "I have a plan."

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Meanwhile, Butch and Cassidy were preparing to use their plane for a getaway.

"Come on, Cass. Can't we patch this thing up any faster?" asked an anxious Butch.

"Don't worry too much about it." answered Cassidy. "Nobody's following us."

"NOPE! That question would cost you guys the game show." said a female voice from above. Just then, Jessie and James landed in a nearby tree.

"WHAT!! You guys are here?" asked Butch.

"Of course." James answered. "Let's go, Weezing." Weezing then appeared in a flash of white light.

"Go, Raticate." answered Butch. Raticate then appeared to face the cloud Pokémon. "If you guys think we'll let you beat us after we got this far you're sadly mistaken."

"Ok then, we'll stay mistaken, thanks." answered Jessie.

"Weezing, Smokescreen." said James. Weezing quickly responded with the attack. Raticate was soon confused as to the whereabouts of its opponent. "Now! Use tackle!" Weezing quickly came out of the smoke and landed a painful tackle. Raticate then landed in the arms of Butch.

"HA! He hasn't fainted yet." laughed Butch. "We'll get you for that."

"Yeah! Plus, you guys came alone. You guys don't stand a chance against our technology." added Cassidy. They then pulled out all of the famous gadgets they had recently used.

"Who said we came alone." asked Jessie. Just then Starmie appeared from out of nowhere with a Double Edge attack which destroyed all of the copies of the devices. Almost immediately, the cavalry appeared. They even had the tied up Ash.

"Remember us?" said a confident Misty. Among the devices destroyed was a containment unit containing Pikachu. Pikachu then immediately ran towards its tied up master.

"PIKA PI! (ASH!)" Pikachu shouted in happiness.

"It's good to see you too, Pikachu." said Ash.

"Well," started Butch. "At least they don't know where the Bad Luck Device is."

"Who says?" said a voice from behind them. There was Meowth with the Bad Luck Device in his hand. "It was pretty easy to find, what with Jessie and James distracting you and all." And with that, he extended one claw and tore the device straight down the middle.

"NO!!!" shouted Team Rocket.

"And let the games begin!" said Ash, as everyone untied him.

"Please, have mercy." said Butch.

"Let me see." said Ash. He thought about it. "Charizard, come out!" he said. When it appeared Ash asked it a question. "Do you think we should show them mercy?" Charizard's response was to stare at the team with a look that one would expect from the devil himself. "Guess it's a no. Give 'em a Fire Blast!" Charizard readied the attack. "WAIT!" Ash stopped him. Charizard and the others looked at him with questioning eyes.

"What's wrong?" asked Misty.

"He's showing us mercy?" asked Cassidy with a look of relief on her face.

"No, I just feel lucky." answered Ash. "Aim the attack that way." he pointed in a random direction. Charizard responded and let loose a huge Fire Blast attack into the forest. The blast then came back from out of nowhere and hit Team Rocket head on. The attack sent them sailing backwards into a nearby tree. "That's what you get for randomly placing your device in the forest." shouted Ash.

"Why don't you finish up, Tracy?" asked Misty.

"Gladly!" Tracy responded. "Go, Scyther!" Scyther appeared and immediately Team Rocket was scared out of their minds. "Slash attack!" Scyther closed in and sent Team Rocket flying with its Slash attack.

"I can't believe this plan didn't work. And we were so close too." said Cassidy.

"If it wasn't for T.R.S. butting in we would've gotten away." added Butch. And with a sigh they said, "Team Rocket's blasting off again... (SFX: Ding)"

"That was pretty impressive Tracy." said Gary. "How long have you had that Scyther?"

"For a while now. It's now pretty strong." Tracy said.

"It's good to have you back Tracy." said Ash.

"It's good to have YOU back, Ash." said Misty. "It's a good thing you're back to normal."

"Yeah." Ash said. "And I wouldn't be if it wasn't for all of your help. Thanks!"

"Don't mention it." said James.

"That's what friends are for." added Brock.

"Yeah!" said Meowth.

"Pika! (Yep!)" added Pikachu.

"Togepriiii! (Of course!)" added Togepi.

"I'm glad I have you guys." said Ash, with a big smile on his face.

"Well, we're here to stay." said Misty.

"That's good to know." Ash said. The two then shared a nice long look at each other.

"Well come on you guys. We got more traveling to do." said Gary.

"Oh yeah!" said Ash. "All right people, let's go!"

Announcer: And as another day passes for our heroes and another Team Rocket attack fails, our heroes continue onward to "Catch 'Em All".

**That's chapter 6. Please read and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Shamouti Calamity

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

Shamouti Calamity

Announcer: There just isn't anything quite like traveling along the seas. And our heroes are getting just that feeling. We find them today traveling to another island via the services of Lapras.

"I just find it amazing that all of us could fit." said Ash. And as views showed there was barely enough room on Lapras' back to hold the now large crew.

"Well I could've used my Blastoise as well but noooooo!"

"Ok, ok Gary! We get it!" said Ash. He then added under his breath, "Just didn't want you showing of your Blastoise's huge shell."

"Pika pika. (I agree.)" Pikachu also added something under its breath.

"I heard that." responded Gary.

"Um... guys, do you all notice that the clouds are forming very, VERY quickly?" asked Brock.

And just like that, a storm began. Lapras immediately had trouble continuing to navigate properly.

"EVERYONE HOLD ON!" shouted Ash.

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The storm consisted of a heavy downpour of rain and frequent strikes of lightening. Not to mention the incredible roughness of the sea.

"Ash, I can't hold on!" shouted Misty.

"Don't give up Misty." shouted Ash. He held Misty's hand tight. The storm, however, did not last very long. It died down almost as quickly as it started. The sun once again rose high into the sky.

"Well, the storm's done." said Tracy.

"Yeah, but we're way off course now." said Ash.

"Well, we have no choice but to go to that island over there." said Brock, as he pointed to an island just east of them.

"Alright. We can ask for directions there." said Ash. "Lapras, head over to that island." Ash commanded his Pokémon. Lapras quickly obeyed and in no time they were very close to the island.

"Misty, does this island look a bit familiar to you?" asked Tracy after a while.

"I was just about to ask her the same thing Tracy." said Ash.

"It kinda does but I can't put my finger on why." said Misty.

Then as they got to the shore and recognized the boats which were there Ash, Misty and Tracy all started to shout,

"WE'RE AT SHA..."

"Welcome back to Shamouti Island you guys!" interrupted a familiar face. It was Melody.

"Melody!!!" exclaimed the three who knew her.

"PIKA! (WOW!)" added Pikachu.

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Once everyone was on land and Lapras was returned a conversation began.

"It's been a very long time." said Melody.

"Yeah, I know."

"Come here!" exclaimed the girl as she surprised Ash with a huge hug. Needless to say Misty had a look that could kill a Charizard, and Tracy and Gary noticed.

"I'd like you to meet more of my friends. This is Brock who first traveled with me and Gary my rival. We're now trying to learn from each other." said Ash.

"Well I'm pleased to meet you all. Would you like to come to my place for something to drink? You all must be thirsty. Afterwards, you can call for directions." Melody offered.

"That sounds like a great idea." said Tracy. "Can I check my mail at the same time?"

"Sure, come on everyone." Melody replied. She then suddenly turned back and added, "Oh, hi Misty." with a smile. Misty's response was an internal roar and one could see it in her face. Tracy and Gary all seemed tense as if to prepare to grab her if she tried to lunge at Melody like a wild cat.

While walking up the steps of the harbour, Brock asked Misty, "So, who is this young lady?"

"She helped out alot during the adventure where Ash was named the chosen one."

"Really?" asked Brock. Misty had previously contacted Brock and told him allllll about it.

"That was her???" asked Gary. (Author's note: Remember, Gary learnt about the events in 'Everything That Sucks')

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Meanwhile, a periscope appeared in the water. Team Rocket was spying once again. They were in a brand new black mini-sub.

"The storm knocked us for a loop but thankfully we found those brats." said Cassidy.

"Yeah, and just when I finished thinking up our new plan." said Butch.

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Ash and the others soon made themselves comfortable in Melody's home.

"So what have you been up to since we last saw each other?" Melody asked Ash.

"Nothing much. I've just started trying to catch each and every Pokémon." Ash answered.

"What!!! And you call that nothing?" exclaimed Melody. Everyone in the room jumped with a start.

"Well, I guess it is a big deal. But I'm not making it too much of a big deal." responded Ash after regaining his relaxed state.

"Well, did anything... else happen?" Melody asked. She then gave a quick glance to Misty.

Just then, Misty rose faster than lightening. "Melody, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.

And with that, Misty whisked Melody away by grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room.

"What was that about?" asked Brock.

"Don't ask." said Ash.

In the next room, Misty started the conversation quickly. "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

"Relax Misty. I just wanted an excuse to talk to you like this." Melody responded. "I mean come on. I want details of how it all happened."

"Um... Melody, Ash and I aren't together." said Misty. She then blushed and added, "At least... not yet."

"Huh??? What are you waiting for girl?" asked Melody.

"The right time hasn't quite come yet." Misty answered.

"I'm guessing you read romance novels." said Melody.

"Yeah!" said Misty.

"Hopeless." said Melody. "Anyhow, you guys won't ever guess who's here." she added.

"Who?" asked Misty.

Melody then pointed behind herself and out came someone who looked just like Misty. She was a splitting image of her.

"H-H-Huh!" exclaimed Misty.

"Don't worry Misty. It's just me." said the replica. She then removed a wig and a bit of a mask like material to reveal...

"(Gasp)!" Misty couldn't believe her eyes.

"Priiiii! (Wow!)" exclaimed Togepi as it had heard stories about this person from her 'mommy'.

The near silence in the room where the boys were was quickly disturbed by the deafening cry of Misty as she returned to the room. EVERYONE tumbled onto the floor in fright.

"Guys, look who's here!" cried Misty.

When the guys finally recovered, Ash and Brock looked up and immediately called, "Duplica!"

"Pipika! (Duplica!)" exclaimed Pikachu.

"Yep!" she responded.

"Wow! It's so great to see you. What are you doing here?" asked Ash, as he jumped up and gave her a hug.

"Well, I actually met Melody a long time ago and decided to visit her today of all days."

"Um... Ash, who is this?" asked Gary. Tracy was just as curious.

"This, my friends, is a revolutionary." Ash began. Duplica then started to blush.

"She wants to be a master." continued Misty.

"But not a Pokémon master." added Brock.

"A Ditto master." They all completed together.

"A Ditto master? So she only..." started Tracy.

"Trains a Ditto." Misty completed his sentence.

"And she's pretty darned good." said Brock.

"Come on you guys. I can speak for myself." said an embarrased, yet blushing Duplica. "I'm glad to see you all too and I'm really glad I ran into you all cause I wanna ask a favour."

However, before she could say anything else, there was a loud crash in the kitchen. The entire gang raced in to see what was going on. However, as soon as Pikachu entered the room, it was teleported into a cage held by...

"TEAM ROCKET!" shouted Ash. They blew a hole into the kitchen wall.

"What have you done to the kitchen!" asked Melody. "And who are you?"

"Well, allow us to introduce ourselves." said Butch.

"Can it, Brad. We don't wanna hear it today." said Misty.

"IT'S BUTCH NOT BRAD! BUTCH!!!" Butch shouted.

"These thieves are just plain annoying, Melody." explained Ash.

"Yeah, but why are they wearing the same 'R' that those people who helped us were wearing?" asked Melody.

"Cause times have changed!" said a voice from behind them. It was James. T.R.S had arrived.

"Yes!! T.R.S. is here to help." said Ash.

"Wow! The same guys who helped my Ditto are now good guys." said Duplica.

"Ah, perfect. Time to put the plan in motion." said Cassidy.

"Let's go, Raticate." commanded Butch, as he threw Raticate's Pokéball. It soon appeared in a flash of white light.

"This'll be as easy as counting to six on my paws." said Meowth.

"Oh, think again. Look closely." Butch said, as he pointed to the special brown shoes Raticate was wearing. ""Watch the amazing results these shoes deliver."

"Oh, come on. I'll beat 'em up with or without the terrible fashion statement." said Meowth.

"Meowth, Slash attack." said James.

"What're ya my boss?" asked Meowth. "I do what I want... and that's SLASH ATTAAAAACK!" He charged straight into Raticate. However, he slashed at nothing but air. Raticate apparently disappeared. "Huh??? What happened?" he asked.

"These shoes make Raticate super fast." said Butch. "Nothing can touch him."

"This is bad." commented James.

"No, this is great!" said Butch. "Raticate, Quick Attack!" In a flash, Raticate nailed a huge hit on Meowth. He flew through the air and landed in James' arms in a faint.

"Oh, I forgot to mention how much the shoes help its attack power." said Butch.

"Anyone else wanna try?" asked Cassidy.

"It's hopeless." cried Gary. "The only Pokémon who may even come close to that Raticate's speed is Pikachu. But it's now captured."

"Pika! (Help!)" Pikachu cried, as both it and Ash had a feeling the cage was electric proof.

"Togi togi! (Oh no!)" Even Togepi felt bad.

"Well, we gotta do something." said Ash. "What stinks is that if James uses his Roadster, who knows what damage it'll do to this house and to Pikachu."

"We have you guys against the ropes." said Butch. "Why don't we just make our get away?"

"Not yet!" cried Duplica. "I choose my Ditto to battle your Raticate." She tossed a Pokéball and out appeared Ditto. Butch and Cassidy laughed their heads off.

"We'll just humour your little Pokémon for your sake." said Butch. "Raticate, Quick Attack!" Raticate quickly charged at Ditto.

"Ditto, Transform into what I was enjoying yesterday." cried Duplica. Everyone on her side of the battlefield looked at her with the strangest looks in their eyes. However, Ditto transformed... into an enormous wad of gum. Needless to say, Raticate was stopped in its tracks.

"WHAT!!!" cried both Butch and Cassidy.

"Excellent!" said Ash, Misty and the others.

"Have a good time now guys!" said Duplica.

"Oh, we will." said Ash. "Pokéballs guys!" Everyone immediately armed themselves with Pokéballs.

"Squirtle, Hydro Pump!" called Ash. Squirtle soon appeared but even though Raticate was bombarded with strong torrents of water and the strong strike of Squirtle's shell, the gum wouldn't give. Raticate stayed in the same spot.

"Starmie, Double Edge!" called Misty. Starmie appeared and Raticate still held the attack in the same spot. Though the gum weakened a bit this time.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" called Brock. Geodude appeared armed with huge rocks which it threw straight at Raticate. The rocks met their mark as Raticate once again did not budge after the attack.

"Arcanine, Take Down Attack!" Arcanine appeared and it charged and jumped straight at Raticate. On impact, Arcanine back flipped and landed in front of Gary to prevent getting stuck in the gum. On landing Arcanine hurt itself a little.

"And now, Scyther, Slash Attack!" Scyther flew through the air and the impact of this final attack caused Raticate to become unstuck. It flew backwards on impact straight into Butch and Cassidy in a faint. They all, as a result, flew backwards through the hole in the wall and fell all the way down onto the beach. On impact with Raticate, Cassidy lost her grip on Pikachu's cage and it sailed through the air into Ash's open arms.

"Pikachu!" said Ash, as he was reunited with his buddy.

"Pikapi! (Ash!)" said Pikachu.

"Tokiprrrrrriii! (Pikachuuuu!)" Even Togepi was happy.

"I can't believe what just happened." said Butch.

"Well believe this!" said a voice from above them. It was James with his trusty Roadster. He fired a blast which exploded on impact.

"The next time you put all your faith in that Raticate I'll slap you silly." said Cassidy as she and Butch sailed through the air.

"Will you just be quiet?!" shouted back Butch. They then sighed as they both said, "Team Rocket's blasting off again... (SFX: Ding)"

"And that was for Meowth!" cried James into the sky.

"Well done, James." commented Jessie.

"Duplica helped out alot though." said James. Duplica had by now recalled Ditto who was now perched on her shoulder.

"That was amazingly clever, Duplica." said Misty.

"Yeah, it really was." added Ash.

"She truly IS a Ditto master." said Gary. "I've never seen a Ditto transform into something other than a Pokémon before."

"Well, I admit that I'm good but I wanna start traveling to even further improve." said Duplica. "Which is why I wanna ask Ash if I can join him on his journey." she turned to look at Ash as she said this.

"Well, Duplica, we have a HUGE traveling team here." Ash responded. "It would be great to have you with us but I don't think there's room."

"I GOT IT!" cried Tracy. Everyone looked at him startled. "I checked my e-mails before the Team Rocket attack and I have a great idea." Everyone then paid close attention. "I just won a two day and one night stay at the Little Orange Hotel."

"I've heard about that hotel. It's amazing." said Misty.

"Yes it is. And I can bring as many people as I want with me." Tracy said. "Now, you all want to travel with Ash. However, at the same time we all have lives and places we want to see more than traveling with Ash allows us to." He continued. "So, Ash can choose which one of us he wants to stay with him no matter what, while the rest of us lead our traveling lives how we want to and join him whenever we see him."

"That sounds like a great idea." said Ash.

"But..." Misty hesitated, "How will he be able to choose?" she asked. Melody could see Misty had reservations about the idea.

"Simple, during the stay at the hotel, Ash can see which one out of all of us he can tolerate the most. That person will be his choice." responded Tracy.

"Smart!" said Gary.

"But I can't cash in the prize until three days from now. So I guess we can all just split up for now." said Tracy.

"Good idea! Because I have to see some more islands on my own." said Gary.

"And I only just got here so I'd love to explore on my own a bit." said Duplica.

"And I'll head to the island where the hotel is, Hamlin Island, to do some sketching on my own for a while." said Tracy.

"Well," said Brock, as he used each hand to hug Ash and Misty from behind. "How would you two like to travel with me to that island?"

"Great idea." said Ash.

"Just like old times." said Misty.

"So, it's settled then." said Jessie.

"Yeah, but we'll always be there for you no matter what Ash." said James.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." replied Ash.

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A little later, Ash and company assembled by the harbour.

"We'll see you all in three days." said Ash, as each of his friends found a way off Shamouti Island whether by rented boat, Pokémon or hot-air balloon. Meanwhile, Misty was talking with Melody.

"Ash and I made a pact to never fight again." Misty said. "But I just don't know if he'll forgive me for all the fights we had. I'll never be the one chosen." her voice started to break.

"Don't worry, Misty." said Melody. "Everything will work out." she then gave Misty a hug.

"Come on, Misty. We wanna be there by the end of the day." said Brock.

"Ok, coming." said Misty.

And with that, they left the island on board Lapras. "Byyyyeeee!" they all said the Melody as they pulled out of sight.

Announcer: And with that, a new arrangement of travel is made. Our heroes now head straight for Hamlin Island. Will this new arrangement work? We'll see.

**That's chapter 7. Please read and PLEASE REVIEW.**


	8. Misty's Memories

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

**SPECIAL MESSAGE: I WAS INSPIRED TO DO THESE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS FROM ANOTHER FANFIC. THESE CHAPTERS ARE INDEED SIMILAR BUT DIFFER DUE TO MY ONGOING STORYLINE. THANKS GO OUT TO THE AUTHOR OF 'IF ONLY YOU KNEW' FROM THE NOW CLOSED 'CROSSWINDS' AAML FANSITE.**

Misty's Memories

"Is mommy going to be ok?" asked Misty, now six years old. She looked up to one of her big sisters for a response.

"Move! I'm not sure, ok." Daisy replied. Her entire family was in the hospital. Her father was in the room provided for his wife trying to comfort her in her time of great sickness and pain.

"I'm just worried, that's all." said Misty.

"We all are, Misty. We just all, like, have to wait." said Violet, who had always been the nicest sister to her.

Just then, the girls' father soon exited the room. After talking to the doctor with a very heavy look on his face, he returned to the girls. It was visible that he had been crying.

"Girls," he began, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid that your mother's sickness got worse and..." he couldn't go on.

"What's wrong dad?" asked Misty. A girl her age just couldn't understand the concept of death as yet.

"There was nothing the doctors could do." he answered.

And with that, Misty's sisters all began to cry. However, Misty still couldn't understand. "What happened?" she asked.

"M-Misty," said Violet, trying to hold back her sobs. "Mom's d-d-dead." she just barely muttered it out.

"Dead?" the young Misty asked. She was silent. "She's not coming back?" she asked.

"No, never!" exclaimed her father. "You're not a special little pet anymore, kid." He then roughly slapped her out of the way as he walked through the corridor. "Never speak of your mother again. From now on, you're MINE!" he said as he walked away.

--

Misty then awoke and sat up in her sleeping bag, engulfed in cold sweat.

Announcer: Today we find our heroes camped out on Hamlin Island. However, Misty just doesn't seem herself.

--

"That dream again. It's more like a memory." said Misty. "Well, at least it's dawn. Everyone else is asleep but thankfully I don't have to go back to sleep after THAT dream." Misty then got up and left Togepi asleep. She put on her sneakers and made her way through the forest. "_I HATE that memory. It's been eight years since my mom died and the memory still haunts me." _she thought as she made her way onto a grassy cliff. She then took a look back at Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Togepi who were all sleeping peacefully. _"Oh Ash, meeting you helped for a while but, I'm now fourteen. I'm still a bit lonely."_

As Misty watched the sunrise, she felt a bit more peaceful and began to hum her mother's melody. Both Misty and her mother loved this song and it was actually her mother that introduced the song to Misty.

"Myst?" a voice from behind her said. Misty recognized the voice as Ash. However, the old nickname brought tears to her eyes.

"Ash... please don't call me that." Misty replied quietly. She then turned to face him.

Ash then noticed the tears and rushed to her side. "Why? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I-I guess it is ok to tell you now." Misty replied. "Myst is what my mom used to call me." She smiled a bit as she remembered her. "She said I was so small and quiet that I floated through the house like a mist."

"So, why don't you like to be called what your mother used to..." began Ash, but it soon settled in. "Oh no! Misty, is your mom...?" Ash began.

"She died when I was six." said Misty.

"I... I didn't know." said Ash. He then walked up behind her. _"I had no idea about this. If I did, there was no way I would start fights with her like I used to." _he thought.

Misty then turned her head slowly to see him. She then noticed the tears in HIS eyes. "Ash? No, don't be upset. I'm fine, really!" she said, as she managed to chuckle.

"Misty, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ash asked. He now looked down at Misty with concern and caring in his eyes.

"Cause the memories hurt." Misty replied. "I just didn't want to bring them up." she added as she looked into Ash's brown eyes for comfort.

They then stayed in silence until Ash suddenly picked Misty up from where she was sitting and gave her a big hug. In reaction, Misty relaxed in his arms and let herself cry. "Ash..." she said through her tears as she did not quite know how to react.

Ash, himself, surprised himself with how he was acting. _"Ever since that legendary adventure here in the Orange Islands, I have started to feel a bit closer to Misty. Could I...?" _

However, a HUGE hot air balloon with the resemblance of a Raticate appeared. It was Team Rocket. "Sorry to cut this truly touching scene short, but there are Pokémon to steal, namely yours." said Cassidy.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked an enraged Ash.

Misty wiped away her tears and soon added, "Yeah!"

"The youth these days are getting really deaf." said Butch, referring to the fact that their plan was already stated. "However, I just cannot believe that they woke up so darned early. It would have been the perfect attack." he complained.

"Yeah, if we keep this up, the boss'll definitely demote us even farther than the 'hot air balloon status." said Cassidy.

This instantly lightened the spirits of Ash and Misty. They started to laugh their heads off. "Wow! A demotion to Jessie and James' former level already? You guys'll be fired in no time." said Ash.

"Oh, shut up!" said Butch.

"Hand me the bombs." ordered Cassidy.

"Roger!" responded Butch. He then gave her one lit, black bomb with the red 'R' insignia on it.

"Alrighty, bombs away!" she cried. However, she hesitated. "Um, Butch, why am I hearing a small hiss behind me?" she asked.

"Cause I lit all of the bombs." said Butch. The idiot lit every last one of the bombs they had in the balloon.

"You idiot!" cried Cassidy. (Authors note: My words exactly!) And with that, the balloon exploded and the duo stated once again that... "Team Rocket's blasting off again... (SFX: Ding)"

However, the explosion caused the cliff that Ash and Misty were standing on to start to rumble. The small tremor caused the cliff to collapse.

"Ash!!" cried Misty.

"Hang on!!" called Ash. He soon hugged Misty and covered her and they both blanked out.

--

After a while, Brock, Pikachu and Togepi soon woke up.

"Where are Ash and Misty?" asked Brock.

"Pika chu! (I don't know!)" answered Pikachu.

"Toki priiiiii!! (Mommyyyy!!)" cried Togepi.

"We have got to look for them." said Brock.

Just then, Pikachu's ears twitched. "Pika cha. (Oh no, don't.)" said Pikachu. It motioned no with its arms so Brock could understand.

"Why not?" said Brock. "Ash doesn't even have his Pokédex or Pokémon." said Brock, as he held up Ash's Pokédex for the electric mouse to see. "And neither does Misty." he added.

"Pi ka pi cha Pikapi chu Pikachupi Pi Pika. (I just have a good feeling that Ash and Misty are just fine.)" said Pikachu. Dexter had immediately translated the message for Brock automatically. He was quite surprised by the translation as he wasn't expecting it as he did not ask for it.

"And what makes you the expert?" asked Brock.

"Pikachu Pi Pikapi Pi Pika Pi Chu. (Travelling with Ash for so many years.)" answered the mouse smartly. "Pika Pi Pikakachu. (Call it an intuition.)" it continued.

"Alright, I'll wait till noon tomorrow." said Brock. "If they're not back by then I'm searching." he added.

"Pika! (Okay!)" said Pikachu.

--

When Misty regained consciousness, she felt around herself to make sure she was indeed alive and every body part was intact. "Good, I'm okay." she said. She got up and looked around. She was among trees but she was pretty sure she was nowhere near the campsite. And Ash... _"Oh no! Where's Ash? I can't lose him. I won't. Not him too!" _she thought, panicked.

"Misty!" Misty soon heard a cry from nearby. It was Ash. He ran towards her and said, "After that cliff collapsed it luckily caught our KO'd bodies and 'carried' them down a slope far from camp." he explained.

Misty then looked around. "So... where is the cliff." she asked.

"Well... I woke up first and kind of brought you out here so that I could find out where to go to get back to camp without you worrying about my location." Ash replied. "And it wasn't easy." he added.

"Please don't tell me you're implying that I'm heavy." said Misty, as she jokingly struck an angry pose.

"Of course not. In fact, carrying Pikachu on my shoulder all the time isn't always easy either." said Ash, as he played along with the joke.

"Good save!" said Misty. "So did you find out how to get back?" she asked.

"Yeah, let's just follow this path and we'll be back in no time." said Ash, as he pointed out a clear path to follow made by the cliff when it slid down. "Come on, I wanna get back really soon so I can eat." he added, as his stomach grumbled.

"Ash and his first love: food." joked Misty.

"Very funny." replied Ash.

_"This is one of the reasons I truly like Ash. He is remaining really, really calm through all of this. Considering the fact that we have no Pokémon."_ Misty thought. _"Oh how much do I love him? Ever since I started travelling with him I realised that I had a strange feeling in my heart about him. I didn't know what it was until one day I thought of my mother and then I had the same feeling. The feeling was love of course. But I had so many darn trust issues about love before and thought that Ash would die too if I told him how I felt." _Misty then stole a glance at him. _"But those feelings soon turned into fear of rejection. I know you will always be there for me but... do you love me Ash? I need to know." _she thought.

"Oh boy!" said Ash. His voice snapped Misty out of her thoughts. "It looks like returning to camp will have to wait. The rain's coming." he said.

"Oh great! Rain!" replied Misty. _"Even if I like water and water_ _Pokémon, I HATE rain it reminds me of the day Dad left..." _thought Misty.

--"Daddy, where are you going?" Misty asked. Her father was walking out of his room with a suitcase. Misty was eight now and had gained some trust towards her father. However, he did not care for her at all. He liked the outgoing three older sisters better, and was very rough on Misty.

"Get away from me you brat!" he responded, as he turned quickly and knocked her aside. "Daisy's in charge. Don't expect me to come back, ever." he added as he opened the front door and walked out into the pouring rain. He took one last look at the young redhead as she attempted to get up off of the floor and said, "You...you...remind me of your mother, kid. I can't... I can't stay here anymore."

Then he left. The young girl ran up to the front window and watched as her father started his car and drove away, without looking back. She walked up to the room she shared with Violet, confused. "I hope Daddy comes back soon," she said to her stuffed Horsea. "He'll get wet in the rain."

--

A raindrop on Misty's arm soon snapped her out of her memory. _"I now realise that it was just too painful for Dad to stay with us because of how much I was like mom." _she thought. "_After she died, he thought that I would make him upset by acting like her, too. It hurt so much, though, that my sisters did it too as they were influenced by my own father. I couldn't trust him or them after that, and I was glad to leave when I turned eleven."_

The rain then started suddenly. "Well Ash, we'd better find a place to shel..." began Misty. However, when she turned, he was gone. _"Gone?? No! Not him too! Not just like my Dad!" _she began to think in a panicked state. _" I trusted him and now he's gone. I don't even have Togepi to confort me. Oh please don't let him be gone." _she thought as she soon began to shiver in the intense cold of the weather. The rain now intensified and there Misty was still under a tree shivering in the cold.

"Misty!" called a voice in the distance. It was Ash. Misty's neck snapped up at the sound of his voice and she noticed him in front of the mouth of a cave. "Come on! It's warm in here!" he called.

Well, Misty did not have to hear that twice. She sprang up and bolted for the cave. _"Wow! He DIDN'T leave. But, how could I allow myself to believe he had broken my trust so quickly?" _she thought. Once she arrived at the cave, Ash pulled her in and soon lit a campfire using only twigs and two rocks. Misty, looked at Ash with shock and awe.

"Old trait I learnt before I began my journey." explained Ash.

"Ohhhhh!" replied Misty. "Where were you, though?" she then asked.

"I came over here to see if this cave was okay to shelter in. I thought you were right behind me." Ash explained. "Sorry about that!" he added, apologetically.

Misty then weakly smiled back. "It's okay, Ash." she replied.

At that moment, Ash looked at her expression and asked himself, _"What's wrong with her? I think I somehow kinda hurt her." _"Is something wrong, Misty?" he asked.

"I think I'm just tired from getting up so early and walking so much." Misty lied, as she shrugged.

Ash then scooted closer to her and pushed out some of her wet hair from her eyes. "Are you sure? Hopefully you aren't sick." he said.

"No, no, don't worry. Like I said, I'm just tired." Misty said, as she wrung out her hair. However, Ash still watched her with concern in his eyes.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to catch a cold or something, Misty...I mean, I care about you..." Ash started.

However, Misty laughed and cut him off saying, "Relax, Ash! I'm fine. Don't worry about me so much. What about yourself?" She started to slightly shiver after saying this.

In response, Ash took off his blue overcoat and draped it over Misty. "Well, I didn't actually say I was cold but I guess you just solved that problem." Misty said, acting stubborn. _"Wow! That was nice! But even though I feel better, I still have that empty feeling inside me."_

Ash then smiled down at Misty and then looked out into the rain. "You should get some rest, Misty. As soon as it stops raining Meowths and Growlithe out there we can get going again." he said.

"Okay, Ash." Misty responded.

Ash then once again brushed Misty's hair out of her eyes. "_Um, what am I doing?" _asked Ash. He then came closer and closer and kissed Misty on the cheek. He then hugged her and allowed her to snuggle into his arms.

After the kiss, Misty blushed bright red. She then snuggled into his arms and dozed off right then and there. Not, of course, before thinking, _"I can trust him again. And love him. Definately love him." _

--

"I'm leaving!" shouted Misty. Eleven years of age and now full of attitude, Misty packed her things and bolted straight downstairs to where her sisters were ready to start another show.

"Wow! The little munchkin talks big, but let's see her act it." said Daisy. She then took up a Pokéball and tossed it at Misty. "Here is your Starmie! You go ahead and try to become a great trainer. Just remember that we don't want to see your face here ever again." she added.

Misty then stuffed the ball into her knapsack and looked at her sisters with pure anger in her eyes. "If mom was still here, you would all treat me with respect." she cried. The room then filled with silence. Daisy then stared at Misty, shocked that she would hit a nerve like that. She then walked out of the room.

Lily watched her sister storm out and then looked back at Misty and shook her head. "For an eleven year old you sure say alot of studid stuff." she said to Misty, as she followed her sister out of the room.

Violet watched the two leave the room and told Misty, "Take care of yourself, Misty. You are all we have left of mom. So... don't get yourself into too much danger." Before she too left the room, she turned and added, "And never forget... how much mom loved you."

--

Misty didn't want to wake up after that memory. She made a realisation in her thoughts. "Violet and the others never realized what our mother meant to us until she died,

and then they were all jealous of how I was her special daughter. It was because of our close call, but it still may have been because I was the youngest, and I resembled

her the most. But when I left Cerulean, I really felt guilty, and spent the first few days fishing, hoping I would catch a Tentacool. Mom always wanted a Tentacool, but she

never got the chance to catch one. Of course, that led to Ash, and all this three years later..." Misty then finally opened her eyes and could tell by the little light around and the sound outside that it was still raining. She then looked and saw that Ash still had his jacket and arm around her. She smiled at the realisation as Ash squirmed and caused his hat to fall off of his head. Misty then ruffled his hair and said, "I hope you're having a good dream Ash... cause I didn't."

--

"Misty, wake up!" it was Ash. He was finally awake and was frantically trying to wake his friend back up. "It's finally not raining anymore, and... by what I can tell by how the sun looks... it's about noon."

"Noon already??" groaned Misty, as she walked out of the cave. Her stomach then grumbled out of hunger.

"Wow! So I guess my stomach isn't the only one with a personality, huh?" said Ash, with a smirk.

"Very funny!" replied Misty. "Let's just go before I make your stomach hurt for another reason."

"OK! OK!" Ash said, waving his hands in a forfeit.

They then set off while Misty once again thought up a memory which really made her think about her friendship with Ash.

--

Misty was twelve and was resting in her old room while she, Ash and Brock came back to Cerulean for the mermaid play. It was to take place the next morning but for right now, she could sit and think.

"Hey, Misty! We're all curious..." ...Or not! Misty's sisters all burst into her room uninvited.

"About what?" asked Misty.

"Well, we just wanted to know what was going on between you and Ash. I mean, it's obvious you like him." Lily commented, as she played with the ends of her hair.

At that, Misty jumped up with her cheeks burning. "I do not like him! I'm only following him to get my bike back." she cried.

"Please, Misty, we can see right through that one." said Daisy. "I mean, you never liked that bike in the first place."

"I DID TOO!" Misty retorted loudly. "And for your information, Ash and I are FRIENDS! F-r-i-e-n-d-s and that is it!" She then got up, marched towards the door and slammed it in their faces. She then flopped back onto her bed "Although I wonder... nah." she said. "Even if I did tell Ash how I felt, he would never like me back...would he?"

--

"_Maybe he would,..." _Misty told herself, as she looked across at him.

Ash then broke her thoughts by saying, "Misty, you said before that your mom had died...what happened?" He then added, "Not that I want to open any old wounds or anything, but..."

"It's ok, Ash." interrupted Misty. "I guess you should know anyway." she added. "But don't let me cry, ok? I want to get through this strong." She then turned towards him to make sure he knew how serious she was. "Ok?"

"Alright. I'm here for you." Ash replied.

"Ok." said Misty. And with a sigh, she began. "When I was six, my mom developed a rare form of pneumonia and got really sick. The doctors tried to treat it, but they didn't get very far. The illness got worse, and eventually..." She then had to clench her fist to ensure that she wouldn't breakdown. "Eventually she died."

Ash at this point was quiet. However, he knew what was wrong without even asking. "Don't cry Misty. You said you wouldn't." he said this firmly. "You're stronger than this." He then took Misty's hand and she felt better knowing that he was really there for her. She then continued, "After that I got treated pretty badly, because my dad

liked my sisters better than me. And he even said that to my face a few times." she then looked up to the sky before continuing. "Violet once told me that I reminded everyone of my mom, and that brought back the painful memories of how she died. So everyone thought that making me stay away from them would make the pain and misery go with me." She looked at the ground now. "Then my dad left when I was nine. Since I was still learning about trust, I had put it all on him." She gave a half-hearted

laugh. "Wrong person, I guess. After that I lost all trust in everyone except my Pokémon. Violet was really the only one of my sisters that cared about me, since she had

been closer to Mom than Lily or Daisy, but not as close as me." She had to smile a little. "I think I was her favorite daughter, since we both went through some pretty bad things." At that thought she felt the tears come to her eyes, but the simple squeeze of Ash's hand in hers stopped them.

"You can trust me, Misty." said Ash quietly. "I know what it's like not to have a father."

Misty was stunned. "But your mom said that your father-"

"Was on a Pokémon journey of his own, I know." Ash finished. He then shook his head. "He left for the journey before I was born, and told my mom he'd return someday... but he never has."

Misty then gasped. "Is he...?" she began.

"I... I don't even know." Ash answered.He bit his lip and looked away while still keeping his hand in Misty's. Misty couldn't see his face but she could tell that Ash was now crying. "It's hard to live like this. I don't even know my own father's name."

"Then, why don't you ask your mom?"

Ash sighed. "I can't ask. It might make Mom upset, and besides...I'm not even sure I want to know." he responded.

"Ash, look at me." said Misty. Ash then turned and Misty could now see the tears in his eyes very clearly. Misty then placed her hands firmly on both sides of his face so that they were now perfectly facing each other. "Listen, you. I promised you that I wouldn't cry, so I didn't. That means you shouldn't cry either." She looked up into his eyes. "Right?" she said.

"Right," Ash replied. They were then both quiet for a second or two until Misty suddenly leaned up and kissed him... on the lips!! It seemed like a subconscious act as she eventually pulled away in shyness. She then proceeded to blush.

"Sorry," said Misty. "I don't know why I did that-"

"It's ok, Misty." said Ash. "_It actually wasn't that bad. I don't believe it but... I think I like Misty."_ he thought. "Come on, we've got some more ground to cover before dusk tonight." he continued to Misty.

Misty then looked up and expected Ash to be upset or something. However, he looked ok. He was more serious than anything. There was, however, a small trace of a smile across his face. "Alright then. Let's go." And with that, they held hands and continued onward.

Announcer: Well well well! It seems like a little alone time is doing these two trainers some good. Check in next time to see if our heroes can make it back to Brock and Pikachu.

**That's chapter 8. Please read and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	9. True Feelings Revealed

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

**SPECIAL MESSAGE: THIS IS THE SECOND OF THE TWO CHAPTERS INSPIRED FROM ANOTHER FANFIC. THESE CHAPTERS ARE INDEED SIMILAR BUT DIFFER DUE TO MY ONGOING STORYLINE. THANKS GO OUT TO THE AUTHOR OF 'IF ONLY YOU KNEW' FROM THE NOW CLOSED 'CROSSWINDS' AAML FANSITE AND TO THE GREAT SONG OF THE FIRST MOVIE SOUNDTRACK SUNG BY CHRISTINA AGUILERA TITLED 'WE'RE A MIRACLE'.**

True Feelings Revealed

Announcer: Last time, Ash and Misty ended up stranded in a forest near to camp. And while making their way back, conversation between the two brought up enough emotions for the pair to kiss. What will this lead to? And will our heroes make it back?

"Well Mr. Future Pokémon Master, how well do you think you've done over the past years?" Misty asked Ash, with a smirk on her face.

"I think I've done well enough for now thank you very much." answered Ash. They had been walking for quite some time and were now talking about future plans. "I don't know if I'll ever going to actually become a Pokémon master, but I'm surely going to try." he continued.

"Well know that you've become really determined to catch every Pokémon I say that you've come a long way." said Misty. "And with someone as stubborn and determined as you are trying for that goal, I'm sure that you'll come close." she added.

"Thanks... I think!" said Ash in response. His expression was a million laughs.

"You know, I didn't think you could get as far as this, Ash." said Misty. Ash then looked at Misty with a face which suggested the opposite. "All right, all right, I may have had a few positive thoughts at some point. I guess I was wrong to think like that." she said. "Actually, I didn't think that I would be here this long." she admitted, while looking down at the ground shyly.

"I guess you never considered from the day we met that we would actually be friends, huh?" asked Ash.

Misty smiled and answered, "Yeah, I didn't."

After a while of staring at each other, Ash extended his hand and said, "Friends until the end of time?"

_"WOW!" _thought Misty. _"That was unexpected, but... I'll always agree with that."_ "Sure!" she answered. And with that, she shook Ash's hand on it.

"Now that that's settled, what do you think you'll do with your life?" asked Ash.

"I don't know really." she responded. "I can't move back to Cerulean. Too many painful memories. HEY! Maybe I could move to Pallet." she suggested with a smirk.

"Yeah, that would actually be nice." said Ash in response.

They then both smiled and giggled at how weird that would be. "_However,"_ Misty thought. "_It could be a chance for me to heal. And maybe even start a relationship with Ash."_

"And of course, you'll keep on training water Pokémon, right?" asked Ash.

"Of course! I was raised that way. Not everyone is a garden variety like you." said Misty.

"Ha ha ha, very funny." replied Ash. "Hey, do think you know what time it is?"

"Not sure!" answered Misty. She then looked up at the sun to try to gauge it. "Probably about five."

"DINNERTIME!" they both shouted in unison and then laughed. However, their joy was ended by a familiar sound... Thunder.

"Uh-oh! Let's move!" shouted Ash. And with that, they ran full speed to another open cave as the rain began to pour on them. "Gotta love these caves!" said Ash with a smile as he and Misty made their way inside. "I guess we should stop for the day cause it looks like it's gonna come down till very late."

"Yeah I guess so." replied Misty.

"Then tommorow, we'll head back to Brock." Ash added.

_"Yeah great!" _thought Misty. _"Back to Brock and back to keeping my secrets."_ "So what do we do now?" she asked.

"We could keep talking about the future." replied Ash.

"Yeah! I'd like that." said Misty with a smile.

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Another hour passed and Ash and Misty continued to talk about their future plans. "I wonder what my Pokédex will say once I catch everything." Ash said.

Misty wanted to say something but she shivered instead. As nightfall arrived it was getting very chilly and Misty was proving it by shaking like a leaf in the middle of a battle between two Pidgeots. Ash then noticed this and took of his overcoat and draped it around Misty. "Thanks again for that but I think I'm alot colder this time."

"I hope you aren't getting sick." said Ash.

"I highly doubt it." Misty replied. She then, however, instantly sneezed.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Ash. The look of worry instantly appeared on his face and he then scooted closer to Misty. "Well, we both need to stay warm so..." And with that, he placed his arm around her.

"_Wooow! I always feel better when he does this... which isn't often enough."_ Misty thought as she tried to get more comfortable. "I hope you don't mind if I make you a pillow, Ash." she said.

Ash laughed and responded, "Go ahead Misty. I just hope I'm fluffy enough." At this, they both laughed. "I just want you to be ok, Misty."

"Thanks!" Misty replied. "But Ash, what about you? If you worry about me too much we'll BOTH get sick and I don't want us to be miserable." Misty realised. "And... why are you being so sweet?" she asked while smiling with curiosity.

"I don't know." Ash replied. "_Really, I don't."_ he thought. "I guess it's just my instinct to care about you." he replied.

At that point, Ash then shivered a bit. So Misty scooted a bit closer to Ash hoping to create more body heat for the two of them. "But Ash, if you acted like earlier, we would've been better friends sooner." Misty said.

"Forget about before." Ash said suddenly. "What matters is now." he said. At this point Ash was wondering just what he was doing. "_Do I really like Misty? I've never really thought of love before but I believe that I'm starting to feel something for Misty."_

Ash then looked down at her, trying to send that message, and Misty looked back. A few seconds passed, and suddenly Ash leaned towards her, but then stopped. Misty was somewhat aware of what was going to happen, but since she was so tired she didn't think about what this meant. Silently, she nodded, and Ash leaned forward again

and kissed her. "_Well, that was new..._" Misty thought instantly. The kiss lasted for a fairly long time and both Ash and Misty could feel a sense of passion in the kiss as if this was truely meant to to be happening. They then mutually pulled away and Misty all but instantly fell asleep right then and there in Ash's arms. This proved just how tired she was.

"Sleep well, Misty. I'll see you in the morning." Ash said, as he watched her descend into another dream.

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"You must always remember this song, Misty." Misty was six again now and was sitting in her bed at night. A beautiful woman with long, carrot coloured hair and blue eyes sat in a chair opposite her. "Never forget it, ok?"

The little one nodded and answered, "Ok, Mommy! I know why because we ARE miracles."

"Yes, that's right!" The woman said. "Now lay back and let me sing you to sleep."

Little Misty then lay down and looked admiringly at her mother as she started to sing...

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Misty had a big smile on her face remembering that memory as she woke up. She looked across and realised that Ash was still asleep but next to her with his arm still around her. "Isn't he nice? I guess it makes since, kissing twice and everything. I guess he does feel the same way about me." She smiled at this realisation. "But I still have my problems. Can I really give him all my trust? Why not?" She smiled but then frowned at a realisation. "Because he may not feel the way you think he feels." Just then her stomach rumbled. "I guess I should wake up Ash before I die of hunger."

Then Ash's stomach grumbled even louder than Misty's in his sleep.

"I guess before WE die of hunger." She laughed. She then woke Ash up and they were on their way once again.

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"HEY! We made it!" Ash yelled suddenly about an hour later, cutting off Misty from explaining Togepi's attacks to him. He ran

up ahead and she quickly followed him, until they stood in front of...it. "Uhoh," he said quietly.

They stood there in silence and looked up...and up...and up. In front of them was the very cliff that had collapsed, except it was transformed into a steep slope made of rocks, dirt, and plants. And it was TALL!

Misty then automatically stuck her hand out of her side, and Ash did the same, and they took hands in astonishment. It was pretty obvious that they were both

afraid of climbing this thing, and they stood there in silence until Ash finally decided to be brave. "I'll go first." He walked toward the slope. "If the only way up is...up...then that's the way we'll go."

As Ash started to climb, Misty couldn't help but worry. "Bulbasaur would be very usful right about now, wouldn't it?" She said, trying to keep her worries back.

Ash continued climbing and chuckled. "True! Don't worry Misty, I'll be fine."

"I hope so." said Misty. _"Now that I have a chance at love I don't want to lose it."_

About a minute later, Ash made it up and then called down to Misty. "Alright Misty it's your turn. Be careful. I'll be here."

"OK!" she replied. She then climbed up for what seemed like forever until she finally managed to reach the top and was just about to grab the edge of the slope. However, all of a sudden a portion of the rock beneath her foot crumbled away, and she lost her grip and started to fall. She screamed, imagining herself plummeting downward, but she suddenly felt a hand grab her wrist which stopped her from falling. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Ash there, struggling but holding on to her nonetheless. "Ash..." She began, stunned. _"He saved my life!"_

"I'll never let you go, Misty." He bit his lip in frustration, but tightened his grip on Misty's wrist and kept his ground.

Misty looked up into his eyes, and he looked back. The messages that were sent between them at that moment couldn't be described in words. _"He really cares about me. Really and truly!" _she thought.

They were both quiet for a second, until reality sunk in. "Try to get a footing on another rock and see if you can push yourself up," Ash instructed her. Misty went to do it, and pain suddenly shot upward through her left ankle. She yelped, and Ash realized what was wrong and reached for her other hand and pulled her the rest of the way up himself.

_"Now THAT'S what I call nice!"_ Misty immediately thought.

"Are you all right?" Ash asked.

"I think I twisted my ankle when the rock slipped away," Misty responded, touching her ankle tenderly. "Ow!" she yelped. "And boy, does

it hurt."

Ash then knelt beside her. "Well, you better stay here," he told Misty, making sure she was sitting on a big rock. "I'm going

to go make sure that camp is back the way I think it is...I don't want to drag you all this way and then get lost again." He then quickly

kissed her on the cheek, and then got up and walked off. "I'll be right back!" he called.

Misty watched Ash go, and then sighed. _"It's so hard to ignore the pain in my ankle. I need to comfort myself."_ To help her do that she began to sing the same special song her mother sang to her. Little did she know beforehand the second meaning she would realize it had after starting to sing...

"Here we are

Safe at last

We can breathe a sigh

It seems a storm has passed

Through it all

No one knew

That all the tears in heaven

Would bring me back to you, oh..."

She stopped. This was reminding her of Ash... She shook her head and went on.

"No one I know

Imagined we would make it

But it only matters that we both believe...oh..."

She stopped again, getting ready for the chorus. Of all the things that could remind her of Ash, it was the song that was closest to her heart!

"You and me, we're a miracle

Meant to be, and nothing can change it

Mountains move and oceans part when they are standing in our way

You and me, we're a miracle

Angels stand watchin' over us

And heaven shines upon us every day...oh..."

She had to smile. All along she thought she had known that this song meant more to her than what her mother taught her it meant, and it was describing perfectly how she felt about Ash after all they had gone through together. So she kept singing, feeling better after realizing this.

"Every time

I felt near defeat

You were there for me, oh

By my side, completely

You give me strength

You set me free

It's just because of you, oh

I'm all that I can be, oh

When I'm with you

The world is ours to reach for!

Together there is nothing we can't do...

You and me, we're a miracle

Meant to be, and nothing can change it

Mountains move and oceans part when they are standing in our way

You and me, we're a miracle

Angels stand watchin' over us

And heaven shines upon us every day...oh..."

By now she was getting a little choked up. Luckily, Ash hadn't come back and interrupted her yet, so she was free to keep on singing and expressing her emotions without anyone knowing.

"The chance was so unlikely

That we would ever be, oh

Two stars among the heavens

Destiny brought you to me

Oh...you and me, we're a miracle

Meant to be, and nothing can change it

Mountains move and oceans part when they are standing in our way

You and me, we're a miracle

Angels stand watchin' over us

And heaven shines upon us every day...oh..."

She took a breath again, hoping she could sing the chorus without getting so emotional that she would have to stop.

"You and me, we're a miracle (miracle...)

You and me, we're a miracle (miracle...)

She stopped, her eyes watering, and then sang the very last word of the song.

"Miracle..."

For a while afterwards Misty sat there, sitting in silence, her ankle was still throbbing, until Ash's voice startled her straight out of her thoughts.

"That was beautiful!" he said.

Misty turned with a start. Probably if her ankle wasn't banged up she would have jumped sky high.

Ash looked at her with sincerely and then sat down beside her on the rock she was on. "I had no idea you could sing like that." he said.

Misty looked at the ground. "Well, I guess I never needed to show you I could." She stopped, a familiar wave of sadness rushed

over her. "It's my favourite song...my mom used to sing it to me every night. She said we were miracles because we both almost

died when I was born...complications, you know." A tear now came to her eye, and she promptly wiped it away. "After she died,

when my dad yelled at me or something, I'd go into my room and sing it to myself, and it always made me feel better when

something was wrong."

"Oh." Ash was quiet for a little, but then asked, "Is that why you were singing it now? Because of everything that's been going

wrong today?"

"No, not really." Misty looked off into the woods, hoping to change the subject. "So did you find the way back to camp?" she asked quickly.

However, Ash was too smart for her. "Yes, I did, but I want to know why you were singing that song before we go. If you weren't upset about something..." He stopped. "To tell you the truth, Misty, it reminded me of you."

Misty then turned towards Ash with a VERY surprised look on her face. "Me?" She practically squeaked. He nodded, and she looked into his deep brown eyes, which looked very caring right now.

"Yeah...after all I-and WE-have gone through, you've always been there for me, helping me on, and I guess I need to thank you for being such a good friend." he explained.

"You don't need to thank me...you already have," Misty told him. "You cared for me this whole time, and it really made me think about what I feel about trusting people...expecially you." She smiled, avoiding eye contact so she could make it to her next sentence. "I guess I was singing that song because it reminds me of YOU." She then continued before he could say anything. "When I was younger, I'd lost all hopes of loving anyone again, after my dad broke my trust and my mom died." She looked up, and Ash's eyes were fixed on her, looking very understanding and caring at that moment. "But after you came along, I guess you taught me how to love again. I'm not sure how or why, but I...I fell in love with you."

Ash was quiet, and looked at the ground instead of at Misty. Misty wasn't sure what this meant, but somehow she knew that he wasn't

going to reject her.

"I never wanted my bike back," She began, "I just wanted a friend. Even if we didn't get along well in the beginning, something told me to stick with it, and eventually..." Misty looked over at him, and this time his eyes met hers. "Eventually it became much more than I ever imagined." She then managed to smile. "So I owe YOU all the thanks, Ash." She then kissed him gently on the cheek, hoping what she had said had meant something to him. Misty had given him everything she had: her heart, her trust, and her love. He now had the choice to do with it what he wanted.

"_Well this is it." _thought Ash. _"I had no idea Misty felt this way. And honestly, I think... no... now I KNOW I feel the same way." _"Misty..." He grinned, which really surprised Misty. He stood up, and carefully pulled Misty to her feet along with him. "You know how that song says we're a miracle?" he asked, taking Misty's hands in his.

Misty nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

"We are." Misty smiled a little, feeling better because she was getting a hint on how Ash felt. "And it's a miracle that right now, I'm here, doing this." He leaned down and kissed her for a long while, and eventually when they had to part, they both wanted to stay in each others arms forever. "I wish we would have told each other sooner," he whispered.

Misty laughed quietly. "We were too stubborn, Ash. Besides, it's better now. We have a better understanding of each other now that we're older." She then sighed. "There were times, still, when I needed you...expecially when I was reminded of my mom." she sighed again and pulled back to look into Ash's eyes. "But we can

still make up for lost time, right?"

Ash looked at her admiringly. "Right." Then he looked back over his shoulder. "We'd better get back to camp and get your ankle looked at." He slipped his arm around Misty so he could support her as they walked and headed towards camp.

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."I'm really starting to worry now, Pikachu." said Brock, as he continued to tend to the fire he was about to start cooking with. "Are you sure it isn't Team Rocket's doing?"

"Pi Pika! (I'm sure!)" replied the mouse Pokémon.

"Brock," Ash said quietly as he suddenly appeared. Ash and Misty were standing right behind Brock as he sat with Pikachu and Togepi. He looked up and turned around, and jumped so high, his head almost hit the clouds. "Ash! Misty!" he exclaimed. "Where WERE you two?!?"

And with that, Pikachu and Togepi all raced to their trainers. "PIKA PI! (ASH!)" Pikachu cried.

"Togepriiiii! (Mommyyyyyy!)" added Togepi.

Both Ash and Misty grinned. "It's great to see you all too and I'm sure you have a million questions but it's a long story..." said Misty as she and Ash exchanged glances and a smile passed between them. "But before we tell you, Brock, I have a problem with my ankle, and Ash and I haven't eaten for a while. So..." Misty crossed her arms, and Brock promptly went to work frantically.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"This is only going to hurt for a second," Brock told Misty, as he knelt by her ankle.

Ash and Misty had eaten already, and had explained to him and Pikachu and Togepi a little of what happened, except for the fact that they were a "couple" now, if

that's the way one could put it. But now Misty had a problem with her twisted ankle.

"I'm no nurse," Brock had said, "but I'm pretty sure it's out of joint. We'll just have to pop it back in."

So now Misty was clutching Togepi in one arm, while Ash sat beside her with Pikachu on his shoulder. She sighed. "Might as well get

this over with," she said. Misty then braced herself, and Brock counted down.

"Three, two, ONE!" At that very moment, he popped Misty's ankle back in.

Misty gritted her teeth through the pain, and in a split second Ash was holding her hand. It was over before she knew it, and it still hurt, but she could move it now. "Thanks, Brock," she said. Togepi chuckled, and Pikachu hopped from Ash's shoulder on to hers, and she smiled at him. "Thank you,

Pikachu, Togepi..." she looked over her side. "...Ash..." He winked at her, and Misty blushed a little bit. "Well, now that I can walk, I think that's what I'll go do right now." she stood up and picked up Togepi. "I'll be right back."

"Don't go fall off any more cliffs!" Brock yelled after her.

Misty promptly laughed and walked down towards a little stream, where she let out Staryu, Seadra, Poliwag, and Goldeen to swim for a little bit, and sat in the peace as Togepi chased Psyduck around, who actually didn't bother her. She was feeling pretty good right then, so nothing could phase her.

"Enjoying yourself?" Misty opened my eyes and saw Ash there beside her, and she smiled.

"Yeah, pretty much." she looked down at her ankle. "Everything's perfect right now."

Ash watched Misty's Pokémon swim for a while, he then let out Kingler and Lapras as he did so. "So how are we going to tell Brock..." he finally asked, letting his voice taper off.

Misty knew what he meant, and she shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe he'll notice us acting differently and ask about it." The wind blew by gently, and Misty took advantage let her hair fall loose. "There's really no way to tell him that we're in love..." she looked up at him, and he was smiling contentedly, watching the Pokémon.

"Yeah, there are really no words to explain it...other than a miracle." he said, with a smile.

Misty stifled a giggle. "You liked that song, didn't you?"

"With you singing it, yes..." he responded.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to flatter me." Then she sighed. "It still holds that place in my heart because of my mom, but I'll never forget how it brought us together."

"Me neither." Ash replied as he put an arm around her, Misty closed her eyes and relaxed, being so close to him. "Do you think..." He stopped. "Do you think we'll still be friends forever?"

Misty quickly opened her eyes and smiled. "Of course! What's going on now is just an advanced friendship." They both laughed, and Ash leaned down and kissed her gently. They sat there for awhile, just enjoying each other's company, and Misty felt pretty good. "_It isn't every day a girl regains her trust towards the world. It just so happens that I'm that lucky today." _she thought.

"Awww! It's so sweet it'll make me sick!" shouted a voice from above.

"Huh!" exclaimed Misty as she looked up and saw Team Rocket once again in their hot air balloon.

"We're baaaaaack!" called Butch from the balloon. "And it's revenge time."

"Revenge? What stupid device are you going to try this time?" asked Ash.

"Simple! With this water-attack-proof net, we'll just round up all of your water Pokémon in a snap." answered Cassidy.

"Really?" asked Ash. "Kingler, use Vicegrip please." In a flash, Kingler ripped the net to shreds. "Do you guy now want a long drawn out punishment?" asked Ash.

"What do you mean?" they both answered together in fear.

"PIKACHU!!!" Ash called. Immediately, Pikachu ran into the stream area. "Thunderbolt, buddy!" Pikachu charged up and let out a huge blast of electricity which filled the balloon with a sizzling charge which suddenly exploded.

"What was that explosion?" asked Cassidy as they sailed the sky for another blast off.

"Pikachu's Thunderbolt exploded? Its powers have reached a new level." replied Butch.

"Wow! That thing is now even more valuable. We gotta grab it but for now..." began Cassidy.

"We're blasting off again... (SFX: Ding)"

"Great job, Pikachu. You're even stronger now." said Ash.

"Pi ka! (I know!)" Pikachu proudly replied with a smile.

"_Another reason why I love him. His unending care for his_ _Pokémon."_ Misty thought.

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A little later on, when everyone else was asleep. Ash and Misty went back to the spring for some alone time. When Misty thought Ash fell asleep beside her, she bagan to sing again. "You and me, we're a miracle...meant to be and nothing can change it..."

"You got that right!" Ash said quickly.

"I thought you were asleep!" exclaimed Misty.

"Nope! But I gotta say something else about that song." Ash said.

"Go ahead." Misty replied.

"That one part of that song...about destiny bringing us together..."

Misty thought for a second. "Oh, right. What about it?"

"It's true." He took one of Misty's hands. "It WAS destiny that brought us together. We were meant to meet, no matter what we originally thought."

Misty smiled and added, "The bike was just an excuse for us to deny the fact that we had a thing for each other."

"Ohhh yeah!" Ash laughed as he pulled Misty into a hug. "Together forever," he said quietly.

"Together forever," Misty agreed. They had a promise to keep now, and they were NEVER going to break it. _"Destiny works in strange _

_ways...but definitely good ones. DEFINITELY good ones."_ Misty thought. "Ash?" Misty called quietly.

"Yes?" Ash quickly replied.

"I love you." said Misty.

"I love you too, Misty. Never forget it." replied Ash.

"I won't...I can't." Misty said.

"Why?" Ash asked.

"Because you wouldn't let me." Misty replied with a laugh.

Ash himself then laughed and kissed Misty.

Narrator: And there they are, a miracle, together at last...and never to be apart.

**That's chapter 9. I know! I know! It was a bit mushy. But I thought this level of mushiness was needed for this very special moment. Please read and PLEASE REVIEW.**


	10. Valentine's Day

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

Valentine's Day

Announcer: After a very close call out in the woods, Ash and Misty found a way back to safety. Now, reunited with the entire gang, they make their way to the Little Orange Hotel for Tracey's grand prize and to decide who stays with Ash at all times during his journey. An event so important that it deserves the silence our heroes are providing.

"COME BACK HERE, ASH!!" cried Misty, as she pursued Ash through the long path towards the hotel.

Announcer: … Or maybe not.

The back of Misty's blouse was drenched with water. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT! YOU'LL SEE!"

"Great job, Squirtle!" Ash said, as he returned the tiny turtle Pokémon back into its Pokéball.

"Do you think those two will ever stop acting and admit anything?" asked Gary. He surprisingly kept a straight face through the question. Everyone just kept a blank expression and answered with shoulder shrugs.

The two ran all the way to the final area of the path which was lined with palm trees on both sides leading straight up to the hotel.

"Alright… Where is he?" Misty asked herself, as she looked behind tree after tree trying to find Ash. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a tree. It was Ash.

"Tell me something, Misty. How hard is it going to be to get some alone time with you?" asked Ash, as the realization in Misty's eyes settled in. With a reply only in the form of a smile, she leaned in and kissed Ash firmly on the lips.

Announcer: OH! Did I forget to mention that last time, Ash and Misty finally got together?

*Queue opening theme*

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After a while Ash and Misty finally made their way back to the rest of the group. Misty looked as angry as ever with a mallet in her left hand and Ash's collar in her right. She was dragging his (seemingly) knocked out body across the path behind her.

"Excellent job, Misty." Ash whispered as he barely looked up and gave a wink.

"Anytime, Ash." Misty whispered back as she too gave a wink.

"Well now that Ash is… well… mostly back, we can move on." said Tracey.

In no time they made it to the incredibly impressive hotel. It was as stunning as any five star hotel you could think of.

"WOW!!" exclaimed Ash.

"Ditto." added Duplica.

"Ditto? (Huh)" asked Ditto, who was perched on her shoulder.

"Oh… sorry buddy. I didn't mean you." Duplica explained.

"Well guys let's get this show on the road." said Brock. "We'll finally decide who gets to stay with Ash."

At this, the eyes of both Misty and Ash met and were full of worry.

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Team Rocket wasn't too far away and they saw and heard every word as they spied from a nearby tree.

"That's quite an interesting vacation, isn't it Cass?" asked Butch.

"Humph! I don't think so really. It looks like an everyday thing for the rich and famous who always looked down on me and my family." replied Cassidy. "Why don't we put a wrinkle in their perfect little vacation?"

"That's sounds great to me." answered Butch.

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"THIS PLACE IS EXCELLENT!!" screamed Misty. By now they had finished registration and were hanging out around the lobby. It was incredibly spacious and decorative. "It's like we're in a movie." She added.

"You're right about that Misty." agreed Duplica. She was admiring the amazing view of the coast from one of the lobby's windows.

When they got settled in their rooms they each had rooms with two beds each. Brock and Tracey shared one room and Duplica and Gary chose to stay in a room as a means to get to know each other.

"We're here!!" shouted a nearby voice. It was Jessie. T.R.S. finally arrived at the hotel to claim their room.

"Jessie, James, Meowth, you made it." said Ash.

"Of course we did. Do you really tink we'd give up on a chance like dis?" said Meowth.

"Good point, Meowth." Ash replied with a chuckle.

"Well Ash…" started Misty, as she pointed to a room. "I… guess that only leaves one room." She said with a blush.

"Yeah… I guess so." Ash replied. He was blushing as well.

"Well you's two try not to be too love boidy like these two in here." Meowth commented. This was of course followed by a swift punch from Jessie thrusting the scratch cat into the apartment.

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Later in the pool area, Ash was sitting by the bar waiting to be served a drink when all of a sudden an incredibly skillful sketch of Pikachu was put in front of his face.

"Huh?" Ash exclaimed. He then turned to find Tracey in short swimming pants behind him. "Oh! Hello Tracey." He said when he realized it was the talented artist.

"Ash, how would you like to receive an amazing artistic memo of the places you travel to? I'm sure you would appreciate them." Tracey suggested with a peculiar look on his face.

Ash immediately knew what he was getting at. "Tracey…" Before he could start his sentence, Brock passed by with a slice of pizza. "Brock, that pizza smells incredible. Is that available here?"

"Nope! I made it myself. You can have food like this every day if a certain choice is made." Brock responded.

Ash gave a quiet sigh and before he could respond his drink was served.

"Here's your drink sir." The young, female bartender said as she presented the drink to Ash.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed. "You look like the bartender but you sound a bit different."

"TADA!!" The bartender removed an exterior costume to reveal herself as Duplica. "I kept my voice the same so you'd pick it up." She explained. "If you ever need a costume or disguise for any situation I'm your girl."

"Aw come on!" Ash shouted. "This vacation is for me to decide who I can get along with. Not who can give the most benefits..." At that moment his voice trailed off because Misty appeared in a swimsuit and dove straight into the pool. Almost inaudibly he said "Wow!"

Meanwhile Gary was nearby on a pool chair and said to himself, "You wouldn't catch me doing all that stuff. If he picks me he picks me."

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Ash was making his way back to his room with a heavy expression on his face. "These guys won't quit. It's gonna be hard to pick someone, especially if that someone isn't Misty. Plus, if I do pick her, everyone will want to know why." He then entered his room and looked at the calendar and was stunned at what the date was. It was February 13th. "OH NO!! It's the day before Valentine's Day. Misty will never forgive me for not getting her a present on the most romantic day of the year. What with all the romance novels she reads."

Just then Pikachu entered the room and saw the worried look on its trainer's face. "Pika chu? (Something wrong?)"

"Well Pikachu, it's kind of a secret but I need to get Misty a gift before tomorrow. It's an emergency." Ash explained.

"Pika! (Wow!)" Pikachu exclaimed at the urgency of the situation.

"Any ideas?" Ash asked.

"Chuuu… (Hmmm…)" Pikachu thought.

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"Chaaa! (Maaan!)" Pikachu complained.

"Stop complaining. You were the one who suggested waking up early so no one would see me leaving or returning with a gift." Ash lashed back. As they walked along the beautiful beach behind the hotel "Only problem is who will be up and in business at a time like this?"

"Licensed Water Pokémon vendor! Licensed Water Pokémon vendor!" An elderly fisherman nearby was chanting these words as he sat behind a table on the beach with three Pokéballs on display.

"Wow! That was easy." Ash said in disbelief.

"Pika! (Yeah!)" Pikachu agreed.

Ash then walked up to the stall and asked, "Hey mister. Are you really a licensed vendor?"

"Here's the proof lad." The fisherman flashed a large piece of paper with all the correct evidence on it. "I even have a distant cousin who convinced a poor sap to buy a Magikarp in a golden Pokéball."

Ash held back a chuckle as he indeed knew the 'poor sap', James. "So what are you selling here?"

"I have a Staryu, a Horsea, and a Shellder." He answered.

"_Well Misty has two of these already which only leaves one choice." _Ash thought. "I'll take the Shellder thanks." He told the vendor.

The money was handed over and Ash took the Pokéball from the vendor.

"Umm! Mister? How will I avoid adding this to my Pokédex?" Ash asked the vendor. "Cause it's a gift for a friend."

"Well avoid doing stuff like…" The vendor began as he got up and made an extravagant victory pose saying, "YES! I caught a Shellder!"

As the pose looked all too familiar Ash and Pikachu had huge teardrops as he said, "Thanks!"

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Ash returned to the hotel to find everyone awake for some reason. "What's going on?" He asked Brock, who was the first person he encountered.

"We heard some siren outside. It woke everyone up." Brock explained.

At that moment a scream was heard from outside. Everyone ran outside to see Misty being raised up towards Team Rocket's hot air balloon with a mechanical arm. The siren was Cassidy's portable blowhorn.

"TEAM ROCKET!" Ash screamed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting even from last time." Butch answered.

"We're taking your little 'girlfriend' here to a little shack just off the side of that forest." Cassidy said, as she pointed at the nearby palm trees.

"Come alone to save her if you don't want anything bad to happen to her." Butch added. As soon as the words left his mouth, the newly installed rocket boosters for the balloon activated and sent them at high speed towards the shack before anyone could even draw a Pokéball.

"Ash! You can't go. It's obviously a trap." Duplica hurried to Ash's side as she said this.

"You know what? You're right! But I still need to save her." Ash replied.

"Well you'll need a plan and fast." Gary suggested.

And at that moment, one could say a bulb lit up in Ash's head. "I GOT IT!" He shouted.

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"Talk about the plan of all plans…" Butch said as they readied the trap for Ash.

"Yeah, it's the ultimate Pokéball stealing spree." Cassidy added.

"I can't believe you two won't just give up." Misty said.

"Why would we?" Butch said. "Our victory is finally within reach."

"Yeah, if victory means eventual blast off." Misty responded.

"Laugh it up little missy. The fact remains we have your little boyfriend right where we want him." Butch lashed back.

"Quiet! Here he comes." Cassidy called.

Sure enough, Ash was headed straight for the cabin. A firm look of determination was on his face. Without hesitation, he burst straight into the cabin by busting the front door straight off of its hinges.

"NOW!!" Butch screamed. Cassidy then pressed the button on a miniature device and a large net fell from the ceiling onto Ash.

Ash struggled and strained to free himself but to no avail.

"Gotcha!! You little insect!" Cassidy exclaimed victoriously.

"Who knew it would be so easy?" asked Butch.

However, at that moment, Abra Teleported into the cabin right beside Misty.

"Huh?" Cassidy noticed the psychic Pokémon first.

"What's that thing doing here?" Butch chimed in.

Abra then proceeded to Teleport itself and Misty right outside the front door while still facing the villains.

"This isn't fair! You didn't come alone!" Cassidy screamed in a rage.

"He isn't even here yet." Team Rocket's prisoner, after removing some makeup and a wig, revealed herself as Duplica. "SURPRISE!!" She said.

"Unbelievable!" Cassidy said.

"Raticate! After them!" Butch threw a Pokéball at the heroes and the rodent Pokémon appeared.

Just then, Brock and Tracey appeared with two Pokémon already at their sides.

"Geodude! Tackle Attack!" Brock instructed his Pokémon.

"Scyther! Slash Attack!" Tracey instructed as well. The two attacks collided and sent Raticate flying back into the arms of Butch in a faint.

"This isn't fair!" Cassidy complained.

"You already said that." Butch said. "As true as it is, repeating it won't do us much good. It's time for plan B." He then pulled a lever which opened a compartment in the wooden floor and revealed a cannon.

"Nice plan B, Butch!" Said Cassidy.

"Too bad it doesn't have in any ammo." Gary appeared at the door and rolled the cannonball which was supposed to be inside the cannon to the door with him. "I found the basement door earlier. I had Abra enter through there and teleport out any weapons it found."

"What is going on here?" Cassidy was seriously fuming at this point.

"Who planned all of this?" Butch added.

"I did." Ash finally revealed himself at the door. Both Pikachu and Togepi were perched on his shoulders. "This whole 'Choose a friend!' thing made me think a lot about how good the skills of each of my friends are when it comes to taking you down." Ash explained.

"Duplica's the disguise." Ash began as Duplica smiled at T.R.

"Gary's the strategist." He continued as Gary gave a smirk.

"Brock and Tracey are both variable forms of the muscle." Brock and Tracey folded fists with a smile.

"Misty is amazingly tough. However, if any one of us is in danger I could count on any of these strengths available at the time to get me through." Misty smiled her biggest smile at Ash. "Pikachu! Thunderwave!"

Pikachu jumped into the air and released a wave of electricity which instantly paralyzed the villains and at that moment T.R.S. burst into the room.

"Who… are… you… supposed… to be?" Butch barely asked in his current state.

"We're the help!" Jessie responded, as James fired his Roadster blast at T.R. which sent them soaring into the afternoon sky.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" (SFX: Ding!)

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That evening, the entire gang was in the pool area where all the sweethearts who were openly showing their love on Valentine's Day were hanging around the pool.

"Well Ash, everything's ok again." Tracey walked up to Ash who had just gotten out of the pool.

"Yeah! I'm glad Misty's safe." Ash responded.

Everyone else arrived in the pool area at this time and walked up to Tracey and Ash.

"It's Valentine's Day, Ash." Gary said. "Isn't there anything you want to say to Misty?"

In response, Ash could do nothing more than blush.

"I'll say something first." Misty stepped into the area at a pace right below a march. "Um… this is for you Ash." She handed him a Pokéball. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Ash then opened the ball to reveal a Growlithe.

"Grow! Grow!" The puppy Pokémon barked.

"Wow! Thanks, Misty." Ash said. "I… got something for you too."

At this point, everyone was looking at each other with the same expressions on their faces.

Ash handed her a Pokéball. Misty opened it to reveal her new Shellder. She immediately grasped the young male trainer into the biggest hug of the century.

"Oh, thank you, Ash! You remembered!" Misty exclaimed. When she slightly released the hug and the two looked into each other's eyes, they couldn't help but kiss each other right then and there.

"THEY'RE TOGETHER?" Brock screamed.

Everyone in the immediate area just paused.

"This is great!" Duplica said.

"When did this happen, Ash?" Tracey asked.

"Two days ago." Ash responded.

"Pika? (Huh?)" Pikachu asked. "PIKAKA CHUU!! (I TOLD YOU SOOO!!)" Pikachu shouted at Brock, who was still in shock.

"Well in that case, it's settled." Gary was close by looking away from the crowd. "Misty should be the one to travel with Ash."

"I think that's a great idea." Tracey agreed.

"Any objections?" Duplica asked. Her face showed incredible determination to make this decision final.

"None!" Everyone said in unison. A single tear dropped down Misty's cheek.

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"So we all agree it's for the best because everyone has somewhere to go besides Misty. What with her 'Sensational Sisters' not knowing the proper way to treat a sister." Ash asked everyone as they prepared to leave the hotel.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to put it that way, Ash." Brock responded.

"Yeah Ash. I'm sure they'll come around someday." Misty said.

"Well, I'm headed to my Gramps for some info." Gary called.

"I'm off into the forest of this island to sketch some more Pokémon." Tracey said.

"WATCH OUT FOR CLIFFS!" Ash, Misty and Brock all shouted in unison.

"I'll be heading back home." Brock stated.

"Wow, Brock! Say hi to your dad for me." Ash said.

"No problem, Ash." Brock responded.

"So what do you guys say I travel with you for the very first time?" Duplica asked.

"We'd say, "Welcome aboard!"" Ash responded.

He then turned to Misty. "Well, Myst, the secret's out."

"Yip! And it helped us stay together so why don't we hit the road, Tiger?" Misty responded.

"Great! Then let's get going!" Duplica cheered, as they went towards the nearby beach to perhaps thread the water with Lapras.

Announcer: Well it seems like the best case scenario of the new travel arrangements has just come to pass. Our heroes seem confident of a bright new tomorrow. We can only hope the same.

**That's chapter 10. Please read and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	11. An Unfortunate Separation

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

An Unfortunate Separation

Announcer: With the travel arrangements completed and Duplica tagging along with Ash and Misty, our heroes arrive in Viridian by ferry and are now in the local Pokémon Center.

"In here seems busier than usual, Ash." Misty said, as she looked at the multitude of people and Pokémon in the center.

"You're right, Misty." Ash replied. "It's the biggest center of them all but I don't think it's ever been full."

"Well, maybe something's wrong." Duplica suggested.

"Pika!' ("Hey!") cried Pikachu as it pointed out something about the Pokémon in the center.

They immediately realised that the majority of the Pokémon being treated were Snorlax.

"Hey, they're a lot of Snorlax trainers filling the place up." Duplica stated with a start. "Think there's an epidemic?"

"I hope not." Ash answered as he grabbed Snorlax's ball and looked at it with concern.

Just then, Nurse Joy approached the group. "Are you here to have your Snorlax checked out?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Checked out?" inquired Ash.

"Is there a problem with them?" Misty asked.

"No, not at all. There's a tournament coming up." Nurse Joy replied. "All of the Snorlax trainers are here to make sure their Snorlax are in tip top shape."

"A Tournament, huh?" Ash said with a smile on his face.

"Yup. In fact, Professor Oak is on a video phone. He said he had a feeling you were here and asked to speak with you." said Nurse Joy.

"Oh?" replied Ash.

"Pika?" ("Really?")

--

"It's nice to see your face again, Ash." the Professor remarked as Ash sat down in front of the phone.

"It's nice to see you again too, Professor." Ash replied. "What's all this about a Snorlax tournament?"

"Well Ash, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all Snorlax trainers to see how good each of them are in battle. I personally bought you a ticket and entered you into the tournament."

"Thanks Professor. I know I can count on you." Ash exclaimed. "So when is this tournament?"

"Well it's next week." responded the Professor. "I also have a plane ticket for you."

"Plane ticket?" Ash asked.

"Well... the tournament is in Switzerland." the Professor was reluctant to say this.

"SWITZERLAND??" Ash shouted to the top of his lungs. The entire center was silenced and all eyes were on Ash.

Misty's heart, however, sank.

"How long will this tournament last, Professor?" Duplica asked.

"Four months!" answered the Professor.

Misty immediately walked off and Ash was at a loss for words.

--

"Well would you look at that." Butch said as he and Cassidy spied on the unsuspecting group.

"Seems the head brat of the group is leaving Japan." Cassidy chimed in.

"This is perfect. Let's give him a going away present." Butch suggested. "I have a plan I was saving for if they got way too difficult to handle but I think this is a special occasion." His smile was as evil as his idea.

--

Misty was standing right outside the door of the Pokémon Center looking up at the blue sky.

"It's not fair." she said to herself.

"Misty?" Ash exited the center and walked up to her. "I know this is sudden, but I have to go."

"I know Ash," Misty replied. "It's just that I finally let you know how I feel about you and now you have to go all the way to Switzerland... for four whole months." her voice was starting to break.

"Hey..." Ash started as he turned her around so she would face him. "I love you, Misty. It doesn't even matter how far I travel I'll always be thinking of you. I hope the same goes for you."

Misty instantly smiled. "It does, Ash. I love you too."

"Good!" Ash said. "Think of it this way. When I get back, imagine just how happy we'll both be when we see each other."

"Yeah, it'll be nice." Misty chuckled.

"All right then, let's get back inside and get our Pokémon checked out... especially Snorlax." Ash joked.

Misty then laughed as they both made their way back into the center.

--

"Well, there you have it." Butch said with a smirk. He was looking at a gigantic Raticate robot. "Introducing the Raticate R-1."

"I like it." commented Cassidy. "But, didn't Jessie and James use robots as well?" Cassidy had a good point.

"Oh ye of little faith. This incredible robot has amazing durability." Butch responded. "Every single physical Pokémon attack in existance has no effect on it. It's invincible."

Cassidy's face brightened. "Excellent!!"

"Those brats won't even know what hit them." Butch smiled.

--

"My baby's going to Switzerland?" Delia Ketchum was on the video phone with her beloved son, Ash.

"Yes, it's going to be for four months." Ash responded.

"Well, this is quite sudden, honey." Delia replied. "I know you'll do well. What time do you leave Viridian Airport?"

"Well I leave in about two hours." Ash answered.

"Oh no!" Delia seemed distressed. "You're not going to believe this but a huge flock of Spearow are eating up my crops. Mimey is using psychic to get rid of them but it'll take all afternoon. I'm sorry honey but I can't see you off."

"It's ok,mom. I'll see you when I get back." Ash said as he gave a loving smile to his mother.

"Pika chu!" ("Me too!") added Pikachu.

"Of course I can't wait to see you too, Pikachu." Delia said "Good luck son. Have a safe trip. I love you."

"I love you too, mom." Ash replied as the video call ended.

"Well that went well." Misty said as she immediately approached Ash as the call ended.

"Yeah. I know she'll miss me so I just had to let her know my plans." Ash replied.

"That's good. I..." Misty started. However, a loud scream was heard outside.

"What was that?" Ash exclaimed. He and Misty quickly ran outside to see what all the noise was about.

When they ran outside the center, they saw a young female trainer in distress.

"Give me back my Pokémon, you theives." the poor trainer cried. Her cries were directed towards the Raticate R-1, which was slowly making its way towards the Pokémon Center.

"As if we'd give them back after how easy it was to steal them." Butch replied.

"TEAM ROCKET!" Ash cried.

"Pi Pikachu! (Not again!)"

"A sneak attack on a Pokémon Center?" Duplica just exited the center to join Ash and Misty. "That's a new low."

"You're really new to the operations of Team Rocket, aren't you little girl?" Cassidy inquired.

"It doesn't matter." Misty called. "Get that thing outta here before we give it a good trashing."

"Give it your best shot." Cassidy replied.

"Gladly!" Misty was fired up. "Shellder, Staryu, come on out!" Misty threw two Pokéballs at the robot and Shellder and Staryu appeared in brilliant flashes of light.

"Shell der!" ("I'm here!")

"Shellder, drench that thing with a water gun. Staryu, smash it with a Double Edge attack." Misty called to her Pokémon companions.

The two attacks bombarded the robot with full force.

"YEAH!" Misty celebrated. "That's how you get rid of pests."

However, the Raticate R-1 pushed the current stream of Water Gun right off of itself, also proving that the Double Edge was useless.

"Uh... what?" asked a baffled Misty with a look on her face which spelt humiliation.

"Meet the indestructable Raticate R-1." Cassidy said with an evil smile.

"It can withstand any... and I mean ANY physical Pokémon attack." Butch snickered.

"How is that possible?" Ash asked in shock.

"We're Team Rocket... that's how." Cassidy responded.

"Well there's gotta be a way to get rid of it." Ash said to himself. "Pikachu, see if you can get around it and try to find any wires or circuits."

"Pika! (Okay!)"

"Ditto, see if you can transform into that thing." suggested Duplica.

"Ditto! (Okay!)"

However, at that moment the arms of the Raticate R-1 extended to great lengths and snatched up both Pikachu and Ditto.

"Oh no you don't." Cassidy smirked as the R-1 placed both Pokémon into a small compartment by its stomach along with the other snatched Pokémon.

"That was our best chance!" exclaimed Misty.

"What do we do now?" Ash asked. "I doubt even Spearow would leave a dent in that thing."

Just then, the signature mini rocket punching bags appeared and bombarded the Raticate R-1. Team Rock 'Em Sock 'Em had appeared. They landed, on foot, next to Ash and company.

"You guys made it." Ash said with a determined smiled.

"Oh please!" Butch said, as the smoke around the R-1 cleared. "If powerful Pokémon attacks do nothing, what makes you think your gloves will even scratch this baby?"

"Well it was worth a try." Jessie responded.

"I'm sure we could tink o' someting..." added Meowth.

"Well then, Jessie, let's try everything we've got." James suggested, as he threw all of his Pokéballs and Jessie followed suit. "Let's get the ball rolling." James added as he fired his Roadster, full force, at the R-1.

The blast harmlessly bounced right off.

"Weezing, use a Tackle attack. Victreebell, use Vine Whip." James commanded.

"Arbok, use Poison Sting. Likatung use a Confusion blast." Jessie commanded.

**Author's note: **This is different from how Confusion is usually used in the show where the receiver of the technique moves according to the will of the user. A Confusion blast, like in the video game, is a small psychic burst of energy which hits the opponent.

Weezing and Victreebell responded immediately, even though the Vine Whip was executed while Victreebell was on James' head. The attacks just bounced off.

Arbok then came in closer and unleashed a wave of Poison Sting on the R-1. There was still no positive result.

"Let's finish this." Cassidy said confidently as the Raticate R-1 raced forward at top speed and struck each Pokémon in it's path. The only one left between the R-1 and the humans who would be potentially hurt by it was Likatung.

"It's gonna hit us!" shouted Ash.

"Run!" screamed both Misty and Duplica.

"Likatung!" Jessie cried out for her Pokémon.

At the last second, Likatung raised its hands in fear and fired the Confusion blast which actually stopped the R-1's momentum and sent it flying a small distance backwards. However, there was still no damage done to it.

"What just happened?" Butch asked.

"That was pretty strange." replied Cassidy. "No matter. I'll just go after them again." Cassidy then attempted to go forward again, but to no avail.

"What's wrong, Cass?" Butch inquired.

"The controls aren't working." Cassidy replied in a panic.

At that moment, a small siren sounded as the words 'SYSTEM ERROR!' appeared on the screen in front of them.

"What's going on?" Cassidy screamed as the controls started to hiss and spark.

"What happened to that thing?" Ash asked the others.

Jessie thought for a second. "HEY!" she exclaimed. "Likatung's Confusion blast must have 'confused' the R-1."

"Hey, great!" Duplica smiled.

"Now it may be defeated from the inside out." Misty suggested.

"Priiii! (Yay!)" Togepi cheered.

Meanwhile, on the inside, many messages and commands were being executed even when Cassidy and Butch did not input any of them. The most important of these messages was, 'STORAGE UNIT: OPEN'

Instantly, the Pokémon that Team Rocket had abducted were released.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, as Pikachu ran and jumped into its trainer's arms.

"Pikapi! (Ash!)"

"Ditto!" Duplica and Ditto followed suit.

"Ditto! (Master!)"

"This thing is going crazy." Butch cried.

"Yeah, and the Pokémon are back with their trainers." Cassidy added. "Could this get any worse?"

A new message then appeared. 'SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE: ACTIVATED'

"You had to ask?" Butch glared at her as the Raticate R-1 exploded in what was a brilliant display to all on the outside.

"I'm guessing that's their auto destruct." giggled Jessie as TRS collectively laughed.

"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket cried. (SFX: Ding!)

--

Later, at the Vermillion Airport, Ash was just about to leave for Switzerland. Professor Oak was also there to see him off.

"I'll see you all in four months." Ash said.

"Thanks for teleporting me here to allow me to be on time, Duplica." Ash said.

"Well, you're just lucky Ditto and I witnessed a Kadabra in our travels." smirked Duplica in response.

Misty uncomfortably looked off.

"Misty," Ash started as he walked up to her. "I'll be back before you know it. I promise."

"I know..." Misty replied. "Just, don't forget me." she added. They then kissed for a brief period and then stared into each other's eyes.

"That's new!" said the Professor.

Instantly realising their goof, Ash and Misty shyly broke apart.

"Do NOT tell my mom, Professor." Ash said.

"Alright, I won't. But you gotta get going, Ash." Professor Oak responded.

"Ok." Ash replied as he took one last look at Misty and then waved at everyone while he walked through the gate. "I'll miss you all."

"We'll hold Team Rocket off while you're gone." Meowth cried as Ash went through the gate. At that, everyone laughed.

--

Minutes later, outside the airport, Misty and company watched the plane take off as a lone tear ran down Misty's cheek.

Announcer: Words can not explain what Misty is feeling as her true love flies away. What will the aftermath of this separation be? Tune in next time...

**That's chapter 11. Ash's return will come next chapter. Keep the reviews comin'.**


	12. A Hero's Return

Note: I do not own Pokémon or any of the famous characters mentioned.

This is my Pokémon fanfic. I hope Pokémon fans will enjoy it because this can be looked at as a HUGE series which won't end any time soon. This fanfic can basically be seen as an alternate reality of events which take place after the second movie. ENJOY!

A Hero's Return

Announcer: Four months ago, Ash was told about a Snorlax tournament and was promptly entered into it by Professor Oak. Unfortunately, the tournament was in Switzerland and Ash had to leave immediately. This left Misty devastaded.

Now, everyone except T.R.S. is at the airport to greet our hero.

"I can't believe it's already been four months." Misty stated excitedly.

"I'd believe it," began Gary. "It feels like a lifetime since I last heard that voice of his."

"I agree. I've missed the guy." Duplica added.

"Well, I just hope he got some good food up there." Brock stated.

"I'm sure he was just fine." Tracey replied.

"Hey! The plane's here." Misty exclaimed.

"Toki Toki! (Oh boy!)" Togepi added, excited to see Pikachu again.

The white plane with small stripes of red-orange landed perfectly on the runway. Soon afterwards, all of the passengers exited the plane. Soon, a familiar face passed the door and not too far behind was Pikachu.

"Pika pika! (We're home!)" exclaimed the small Pokémon.

"That's right, Pikachu." Ash replied. "Let the welcome home parade begin." He cried as he raised a bronze Snorlax shaped trophy high into the air.

(**Author's note: **Initially, I dreamed of this being an anime (childhood fantasies, i know). So, this part was supposed to be like a turning point for the series where the true plot of it begins. The art style was to change and be kind of more realistic (the Pokémon would look exactly the same) in that it would kind of be a mix between the art you know and love and a mild version of the art for Bleach (I'm not a Bleach fan myself I'm just using it's art as an _**example**_). Keep reading and it'll all be a bit more clear.)

Ash made his way to the Arrivals area and there he was met with an incredible sight. The whole gang was there. Not only that, but they all looked more mature as quite a bit of time had passed since he last saw them.

"ASH!" Misty jumped on Ash the second he stepped through the door. She immediately planted a wet one on his lips.

"Misty... I missed you alot." Ash said as soon as he could breathe again.

"Me too, Ash." Misty smiled in response. "Well, what do you think?" Misty twirled around to show how she had changed in the four months.

Have you ever heard of the late bloomer occurance? It hit Misty and now she was even more beautiful. She filled out a tiny bit (she looks kind of like Isane from Bleach, not too much up top but not too little either) and her attire was different. She replaced the shorts and suspenders with tight, knee high jeans and her top was now a bright yellow tie top which doesn't show any back but does expose her stomach which allows this new Misty to be conservatively hot.

"You have and always will look like an angel to me, Misty." Ash replied.

"Thanks, Ash." Misty replied as she held his hand and turned to face the others as well.

"That's easy for you to say, Ash." Gary stated as he walked up to him. "You look way different now."

"Yeah, that's cause of those tough Snorlax trainers overseas." Ash explained. "They didn't want to share the backstage area with a 'scrawny kid' so they trained me in their gym a little."

It was true, little Ash Ketchum now had a hint of muscle on him. He was no Lieutenant Surge but he wasn't skin and bones either.

"But look who's talking. You all look different." Ash stated. "I guess it's maturity."

Ash spoke the truth. Brock was being a dedicated breeder through Ash's absence. Which included mountain climbing and other forms of training with his Pokémon. As a result, he was a tad bit more muscular as well.

Gary was a bit taller with an extra spike of hair and he changed to the top half of his attire from his purple shirt to a black shirt with a purple, unbuttoned outer shirt. He kept his signature chain and pendant.

Tracey had given up the mop top look and allowed his fringe to hang behind him. He was borderline on the way to using a ponytail. His attire changed to a slightly closer fitting green shirt with long reddish brown jeans.

Duplica had not changed her appearance at all. However, she did look a little older and like she would soon blossom into a young woman.

"You're right." Duplica replied to Ash proudly as she and Ditto struck a pose.

At this everyone giggled.

Later, at the Pokémon Center, everyone was just enjoying themselves.

"So you brought home bronze, huh?" inquired Brock.

"Yup." Ash answered. "I was beaten by the guy who wound up winning the whole thing."

"Wow!" Gary exclaimed.

"You did very well, Ash." Misty said. "I just wish that we all could've been there to cheer you on."

"Yeah, the 'No guests allowed' clause wasn't very nice." Tracey added.

"It's alright." Ash responded. "I'm just glad to be back here and able to continue my catching quest."

"That's so true!" Duplica exclaimed as if she had just remembered.

Meanwhile, Jessie, James and Meowth were walking past the same PKMN Center and were utterly shocked to see Ash through the glass. This same glass blocked the audio of the humourous audio of the trio as they realised that they had forgotten the day of Ash's return. As a result, they burst into the Center and promptly knocked Ash out of his chair with a barrage of hugs.

"We missed you!" Jessie called.

"The baseball player is back." James added, refering to Ash's hat.

"Good ta have ya back, man!" Meowth claimed.

"Well, would you prefer me back while allowing me to breathe?" Ash screamed with a blue face.

T.R.S. promptly eased off of him and allowed him to get up.

"Haven't changed a bit, huh?" Ash asked as he dusted himself off.

"Nope!" James stated proudly as Jessie and Meowth who actually understood what Ash meant glared at him.

They really didn't. They look just about the same. Save for the aforementioned art change.

"What about Team Rocket?" Ash asked as his mood visibly changed.

"Oh, dose two idiots?" Meowth laughed. "Aftah dere humiliatin' loss of the Raticate R-1, I hoid dat da boss cut dere funds." Meowth couldn't help but laugh his head of after explaining everything.

"We haven't heard anything from them since." Misty finished.

"That sounds great." Ash said, relieved.

"ASH!" A voice called from across the room. It was Nurse Joy. "I'm so glad you're back." she said as she made her way to the group.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash replied.

"I have some great news. There is a new tournament which will spread across all of Kanto." The Nurse said with pure excitement flowing from her voice.

"Yeah, I'd heard of that tournament." Brock stated. He then got up and attempted to add more to her information when Misty sat him back down.

"I wouldn't." Misty stated, as she gave a slightly threatening look at Brock.

"It's called the Kanto Type Tournament." Joy said as she motioned towards the poster behind her desk.

"WOW!" Ash had a glow in his eyes.

"It's a series of tournaments where the participants must use Pokémon with at least one of the types featured." Nurse Joy explained.

"I'd heard about them too." Misty stated. "And I already entered the very first tourname..."

"Water?" Ash cut her off excitedely.

"Yup!" Misty responded. "The first one is a water tournament."

"Nurse Joy," Ash began.

"Yes, Ash?" Joy replied.

"I wish to enter every, single one of the tournaments." Ash said proudly.

Meanwhile, two familiar figures were trekking through the outskirts of Vermillion City.

"Four months have gone, Cass." Butch wearily said, as he recalled the fact that Ash may have returned by now.

"Who cares?" Cassidy replied in the same state of mind.

"It's not FAIR!" Butch shouted as he and Cassidy collapsed on the grass.

"There's nothing we can do. We're finished." Cassidy said. "The boss isn't even letting us know what he's doing."

"It's like we're unemployed." Butch cried.

"All we have left is this lone Raticate we got for our first mission." Cassidy added.

Just when their hopes slumped lower than low a figure crept up behind them. It soon poked Butch with it's yellow finger.

"Ahh!" Butch nearly jumped right out of his skin.

He and Cassidy then turned to see a Drowzee.

"A Drowzee?" Butch asked as soon as he calmed down.

"What's a Drowzee doing here?" Cassidy asked.

"I don't know but it seems to want something." Butch said.

The Drowzee kept pointing at itself and then at the duo while saying, "Drow drow zee! Drow drow zee! (I helped you! I helped you!)"

"I think it's saying we know it?" Butch said.

Cassidy thought about it for a while and then asked, "You don't think this is the one we used on the Orange Islands do you?"

"It has to be if it recognised us so easily." Butch answered.

"Drow! Drow! (Yes! Yes!)" The Drowzee was ecstatic that it's former commanders remembered it.

"Well then what do you want?" Cassidy was curious but was visibly upset that it apparently wanted something.

"Maybe it wants to help us." Butch suggested.

Cassidy was enraged by the suggestion. "What? How can this failure of a Pokémon help us?" Cassidy screamed. "It failed us once and it will do it again."

"Maybe you're right." Butch said sadly.

The Drowzee was visibly upset by Cassidy's words and slowly started to walk away with a defeated look on his face.

"I think you hurt its feelings, Cass." Butch said.

Cassidy then looked at the Pokémon and said, "If it really wants to help, then it better do something... anything to prove its worth right NOW."

"Drow? (Huh?)" Drowzee stopped suddenly and turned to Cassidy, questioning her with its eyes.

"Well?" Cassidy inquired.

After a little while of thought, Drowzee's entire body glowed a brilliant white.

Cassidy had a shocked reaction to this and said, "That could work."

"I can't wait until the tournaments start in two weeks." Ash stated as the group left the Pokémon Center.

"Pi Pika! (Same here!)"

"He looks different, but he's the same old Ash." Misty teased.

"Togepriii... (Yeah...)" Togepi added with a smile.

Ash looked back at Misty with a playful smile.

"Well, why did you enter all of the tournaments, Ash?" Gary inquired.

"Think about it, Gary." Ash responded. "This is perfect inspiration for me to catch 'em all."

Brock was instantly moved by the idea. "That's right, Ash." He responded in a start. "If you catch as many of the featured type of Pokémon as possible in preparation for an upcoming tournament, you'll get all the Pokémon in no time."

"That means more for me to sketch." Tracey chimed in.

"... And for us to copy." Duplica added as she and Ditto smiled at each other.

"Well well well... if it isn't the brat brigade." A female voice was heard nearby. The voice cut off James as he was about to say something.

"Who was that?" Ash shouted into the sky.

"Behind you, kid." A male voice responded.

The group turned to see Team Rocket, damaged clothing and all.

"It's Team Rocket." Duplica said.

"Pi kachu! (Not again!)" Pikachu added.

"Don't worry about our appearance today, brats." Cassidy said.

"It'll surely be the least of your problems." Butch said.

"Didn't we get rid of you guys?" Jessie shouted, visibly annoyed.

"We've made a comeback." Butch responded.

"We have a new partner, and we'd love for you to be the first to see it in action." Cassidy raised a Pokéball from her side.

"What could it be? A Pidgey?" Ash inquired arrogantly.

"Look and see." Cassidy responded, as she threw the ball at the clearing between the groups. The ball opened and in a flash of white light, a Hypno appeared before the group.

"Hyp... NO! (It's... TIME!)" Hypno exclaimed, as it's strong psychic powers caused a small wind to blow on Ash and company. They could feel the power of this adversary.

"It's a Hypno!" Ash exclaimed as he pulled out his Pokédex.

_**"Hypno, the hypnosis Pokémon. The evolved form of Drowzee. Always holding a pendulum that it swings at a steady rhythm, it causes drowsiness in anyone nearby."**_

"Where did that thing come from?" Gary inquired, still in slight shock.

"Remember our Drowzee from the Orange Islands?" Cassidy began to answer.

"It just reunited with us and evolved to prove its worth." Butch ended.

"Ash, Misty, Tracy, Pikachu, Togepi and T.R.S. all had an increased look of fear on their faces."

"Select your Pokémon, brats. If you aren't too scared." Butch challenged.

Immediately, Gary ran ahead of the group.

"Gary, wait!" Ash screamed.

_"I only got a quick shot at this." _Gary thought to himself as he threw a Pokéball. "Beedrill, go!"

Beedrill appeared in a flash of white light.

"Use Twineedle, hurry!" Gary exclaimed.

"Nice strategy, little boy." Cassidy said.

"Trying to get in a quick, effective move." Butch added.

Beedrill's attack was coming in head-on and at a brilliant speed. However, Hypno dodged the attack at the absolute micro-second where it would have connected. When Beedrill attempted to get the second attack in, Hypno jumped backwards, also at the last second, to dodge it.

"To bad our Hypno is fast cause of its real time psychic predictions." Cassidy ended.

"That's not fair." Misty exclaimed.

"No other psychic Pokémon is allowed to do that in battle." Brock added.

"Oh, we've come to an agreement." Cassidy stated, as she smiled at Hypno.

"Alright then." Gary said. "Use your Agility." He called to Beedrill.

Beedrill climbed and started to gain speed by flying in a circle above Hypno.

"End it now, Hypno. Physic attack." Cassidy called knowing of the double ended sword strategy that Gary was attempting.

Hypno raised its arm in the air and pointed directly at Beedrill. Beedrill then stopped in its tracks and was surrounded by a blue aura. Hypno then pointed to the ground and Beedrill was sent hurtling towards it. It collided in a deafening crash. When the smoked cleared, Beedrill had fainted.

"Surrender now, or you will surely lose the fight." Butch said, also quoting their Team Rocket motto's final line.

"Return, Beedrill." Gary recalled Beedrill to its Pokéball. "You were our last hope." He said as he looked at the Pokéball.

"I didn't know you even had a Beedrill, Gary." Ash said as he stood beside him.

"Yeah... but I have no more bugs." Gary said, sadly.

"Plus, not many attacks are strong against a psychic type." Brock said.

"Then, we've got to all go together." Tracey said. "Scyther will get the job done." He pulled a Pokéball out and had it ready.

At this, Ash nodded and everyone took a step further into the battle field and prepared for the fight of their lives.

All except for James, who, seemingly unknown to the others, was instead backing away from the group. He wasn't scared, though. Rather, his face seemed more serious than anything.

"Pikachu, let's go!" Ash called to his partner.

"Pi ka! (Let's go!)"

"Starmie, come on out." Misty called as she threw a Pokéball.

Starmie quickly appeared from the ball ready to fight.

"Onix, I choose you." Brock said.

"Ditto, transform into Onix." Duplica said to her partner.

"Ditto! (Okay!)"

After two brilliant flashes, there were two giant Pokémon ready to do battle.

"Let's go, Graveller." Gary said as he threw his Pokéball.

Graveller emerged from the ball and was pumped for battle.

"Meowth, I'm counting on you here." Jessie said, preferring Meowth's speed over Arbok's power.

"I'm all ovah it." Meowth approved for once, knowing that taking commands was in everyone's best interest.

"Come out, Scyther." Tracey threw a Pokéball and everyone's final bug Pokémon hope emerged.

"So these are your best." Butch chuckled.

"Bring 'em on." Cassidy's confidence was overflowing.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt." Ash commanded as the battle began and James looked on intensely.

"Pika... CHUUU! (Thunder... BOLLLLT!)"

The attack came at Hypno quick as lightening, Hypno instantly jumped to dodge it. It met Starmie in mid-air.

"Starmie, use Water Gun." Misty called.

"Light Screen, Hypno." Cassidy said.

Hypno created a transparent, yellow and square shield before it's body which blocked the attack as James looked on with added interest.

Hypno then landed on the ground where Graveler was waiting.

"Get in a Mega Punch, Graveler." Gary said.

Graveler came in for the punch, but the attack was dodged at the last second as Hypno jumped to the side.

(Editor's note: Egg techniques will come standard in this fan fiction so please, no hate mail.)

Hypno then landed where two huge Onix were waiting.

"Onix,"

"Ditto,"

"TAIL WHIP!"

Hypno jumped over the dual Tail Whip attacks, landed and faced the two attackers.

"Use Hypnosis, Hypno!" Cassidy commanded.

Hypno began to use it's pendulum and both Onix and Ditto started to sway back and forth as they entered a trance.

"Now's your chance, Scyther. Fury Cutter." Tracey called.

"Pikachu,"

"Meowth,"

"QUICK ATTACK!"

Pikachu and Meowth advanced towards Hypno's back in an 'X' formation while Scyther ran ahead of them in a straight line towards Hypno.

Cassidy, in a slight panic, said, "Never mind that, Hypno. MOVE!"

Hypno looked and then jumped out of the way just in time as Onix and Ditto snapped out of it.

At this point, James' eyes opened wide at what he had just witnessed.

Hypno then landed a little distance in front of Team Rocket.

"Swarm it with all your physical attacks guys." Ash said, as all the Pokémon nodded in agreement and charged towards Hypno and Team Rocket.

After yawning, Cassidy then said, "Barrier, Hypno."

A huge dome materialized around Hypno and Team Rocket, which knocked all of the attacking Pokémon away.

As Cassidy laughed and Butch smiled, Hypno looked to its right and was horrified to see James aiming his Roadster.

"Predict this!" James said, as he fired a shot.

Hypno saw it coming but could apparently do nothing to dodge it while Team Rocket only realised it was coming at them a split second before it exploded.

As Team Rocket was sent sailing through the sky, Cassidy was mortified.

"What HAPPENED?" Cassidy screamed.

"I'm not sure, Cass. Maybe they knew something we didn't." Butch suggested.

"Well, we'll just have to figure it out too. Then, we'll get them." Cassidy said.

"Hyp... (Yeah...)" Hypno said with a disappointed voice.

"But for now..." Butch started.

"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket screamed.

(SFX: Ding!)

"We won?" Ash asked, as he looked up towards the star.

"How?" Misty inquired as all of the Pokémon got up and recovered from the Barrier blast.

"Allow me to explain." James said as he walked up to the others with a smile on his face. "You see, I decided to watch Hypno's movements."

Everyone surrounded James as he began to explain his strategy.

"When the fight started, I realised there was a small window of opportunity between Hypno's predictions and movements. When it dodged Pikachu's Thunderbolt, it needed Cassidy's orders to make a counter for Starmie's Water Gun."

"That's true, I noticed that too." Misty said.

"What about the fact that Hypno couldn't change positions in midair?" Brock inquired.

"I thought about that too." James answered. "I also thought that it may have been a coincidence. That is why I watched more of the battle. When Hypno landed after dodging the double Tail Whip, it and Cassidy felt they had all the time in the world to hypnotise Onix and Ditto. However, Pikachu, Meowth and Scyther were all ordered to attack luckily within the window of opportunity created after the Hypnosis began. Hypno couldn't predict it and it couldn't see the attacks coming, but Cassidy could and called off the hypnosis to allow Hypno to dodge."

"Wow!" Gary exclaimed. "Good analysis."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

James continued, "So after Hypno's Barrier technique, I fired my Roadster within the window. Hypno could not predict how to dodge it and Cassidy and Butch were too busy looking at the deflected Pokémon to notice it."

Immediately, Jessie ran to James and gave him a big hug. "You genius, you!" she exclaimed.

"Good thing you didn't have that clever mind when you were fighting us." Ash said with relief in his voice.

Everone laughed at the comment. James even joined into the laugher.

"But I did," James said after everyone calmed down. "You are just quite remarkable in how you battle with your Pokémon. You are quite unreadable." James admitted.

Ash's only responce to that was a smile as he and James gained new respect for each other.

"Well all I know is that you'd be a huge splash in da Pokémon League someday." Meowth said.

"I know, but I enjoy helping people more." James responded, as everyone walked up to him and showed their appreciation.

As the sun began to set on the horizon, Ash and Misty said their goodbyes to those who weren't going their way.

"Well, we'd better be off." Brock said, speaking for the leaving group. "I gotta do some more hiking in the mountains."

"The Imitae House needs some renovations, so I'll go look after that." Duplica said.

"And I need to train for the tournaments I entered." Gary ended.

"Which tournaments did you enter?" Ash inquired.

"Let's leave it up to the element of surprise." Gary said, as he walked away.

Ash could only smile at the remark.

Then Tracey walked up to Ash, "I have some more Kanto exploring to do, Ash. I'd love to join you and Misty."

"Sweet!" Ash said.

"Great idea, Tracey. I may even get to show you Cerulean City." Misty added.

"Great." Tracey agreed.

Everyone then parted ways with loud goodbye's as Ash, Misty and Tracey walked the path leading out of Vermillion.

Announcer: With Ash back in Kanto and the entire group stronger than ever, our heroes continue their journey to catch 'em all.

Later that night, a defeated Butch and Cassidy were trekking weakly beside a roadway. A black limousine drove up alongside them and the back window was rolled down. Giovanni was in the seat.

"Get in!" He said.

Butch and Cassidy looked at each other and then immediately entered the vehicle. The door closed and the limo continued down the road.

**That's chapter 12. Slap a review in that section...**


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